Beautifully
by BluEyes
Summary: Starts during TOW Rachel Finds Out...only she doesn't find out. What would have been had there been no Ross and Rachel. Randler. Complete.
1. No Crystal Duck

**Beautifully**

**Prologue: No Crystal Duck**

~.~

_So…I started this fic…about 9 months ago? Something like that. And I have the first two chapters written, and a horrible, terrible writer's block, and I keep coming back to this story in my mind. And I know I have two other stories to finish, but…I __**need**__ to write, so, if this is what my brain wants to write, well…I'm going to write it._

_I haven't had a disclaimer in a while, so…yea, I don't own the characters or any lines blatantly stolen from the show. _

~.~

"Oh my god," Rachel stared in bewilderment at her birthday gift from Ross. "He remembered?"

"Remembered what?" Phoebe asked.

"It was like, months ago. We were walking by this antique store, and I saw this pin in the window, and I told him it was just like one my grandmother had when I was a little girl. Oh! I can't believe he remembered!" Rachel gushed over the pin.

"Well, sure, but can you play it on a plane?" Chandler quipped, patting the Travel Scrabble he had given her, which had gone over quite a bit less well than the pin.

"Oh, it's so pretty! This must have cost him a fortune!" Phoebe gushed over it as well.

"I can't believe he did this," Monica added.

"C'mon, it's Ross. Remember-" Chandler stopped suddenly, realizing he was about to spill Ross's crush on Rachel to her.

"Remember what?" Rachel looked at him, confused.

Chandler shrugged. "Oh, you know Ross," he laughed uncomfortably. "He remembers _everything_. You know, events, people, dinosaur names...He's always telling all of those boring stories full of useless facts…."

Rachel looked at him for a moment longer. "Huh."

"Well, it's still sweet," Monica looked at the pin.

"Yea, it's too bad he's in China for a week. I wish I could thank him right now," Rachel sighed.

"Yea, well, it's only a week," Phoebe shrugged. "It's not like he moved to China."

"You're right," Rachel smiled, setting the box down. "It can wait until next week. Okay," she smiled, setting the box down, "what's next, cake?"

~.~

_You see what I just did there, right? Right? By eliminating the crystal duck moment?_

_The next part will be significantly longer. Reviews, please and thanks :)_


	2. The Agreement

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 1: The Agreement**

~.~

_I've had the first three chapters of this outlined/partly written for pretty close to a year now. Maybe closer to two. Anyway, I now have nearly the whole story written in my head, and it bothers me to have a story I've started but not finished, so…here we go again…_

~.~

"Please?" Chandler looked at Rachel as she refilled his cup of coffee at Central Perk.

"No," she shook her head, not even looking at him.

"Pretty please?"

"Oooh, pretty please, well I can't say no to that," she turned to face him.

"Really?" Chandler perked up.

"Oh, wait. This is me saying no to that," she pointed in the opposite direction, heading to refill the coffee cups of the other Central Perk patrons.

"I would owe you," Chandler tried a different approach as Rachel came back.

"Isn't your lunch almost over?" Rachel raised her eyebrows at him glancing down at her watch.

Chandler looked down at the time, as well. "Three minutes ago," he nodded. "Please, Rach, please?"

Rachel sighed, leaning against the arm of the couch. "Why, again?"

"Because I'm tired of all of the girls at work trying to set me up with guys!"

Rachel chuckled at that. "I just wanted to hear you say that again."

"Well, it's gone way past the point of funny and awkward," Chandler sighed. "And, I figure if I show up to the holiday party Friday with a pretty girl, they will no longer thing of me as the gay one, but the one that came to the holiday party with a pretty girl."

"And why me?"

"Because you're the prettiest girl I know," Chandler looked up at her, batting his eyelashes.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "And why me?"

Chandler sighed. "Mon's catering some party or something, and Phoebe…" he trailed off, "well, Phoebe's…Phoebe. And plus, she worked there for a while, so that would be weird. Please, Rach?"

Rachel sighed, beginning to cave. "You'll owe me?"

"I'll owe you."

"And there will be free alcohol?"

"Oh, there will be free alcohol," Chandler nodded fiercely. "What is an office party without that?"

Rachel squeezed the dirty towel in her left hand that she had been using to bus tables, setting the coffee pot in her right hand down on the table. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her head of the pleading look in his eyes. She was surely going to regret saying yes to this. "Three conditions."

"Name 'em."

"First, you owe me," she stated slowly. "There are crummies or something somewhere, and Monica's freaking out," she pointed to him, "you take the blame."

Chandler nodded. "Yes, I owe you, you name it."

"Second," she looked him up and down, "I get to dress you."

"Hey," he looked down at what he was wearing, slightly offended. "I've been dressing myself for a good quarter of a century now. I think I'm perfectly capable-"

"And nothing screams 'great dresser' like a closet full of sweater vests and bowling shirts."

"Hey," Chandler looked at her offended, but, off her look, finally conceded. "Fine, you can dress me…."

"And third," Rachel paused.

Chandler smiled at the silence. "You didn't come up with a 'third,' did you?"

"Yea, I did," Rachel paused, thinking hard. She hadn't come up with a third, but he didn't need to know that. "I work a double today, and my feet are killing me. Foot massage tonight."

Chandler made a face at that. "Really?"

"No, but it was worth a shot," Rachel smiled at him before sighing, picking back up the coffee pot. "Fine. Friday night. A couple of hours. And you owe me."

"Thank you, Rach," Chandler grinned in victory, jumping up from his seat. "I owe you."

"That you do," Rachel nodded.

"I'll see you Friday," he added, heading towards the door. "Well, I'll actually see you tonight, and tomorrow, and probably Thursday, but I'll definitely see you Friday."

Rachel raised her eyebrows at him, attempting to get back to work. "Leave before I change my mind."

"Right. Bye, Rach," he added, giving her one last grin before heading out the door and back to his office.


	3. The Suggestion

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 2: The Suggestion**

~.~

_Well, I only got 2 reviews for the last chapter, but just as much traffic as the last chapter of _Sometime Around Midnight_, so I'm going to assume people are reading and continue on…_

_Also, Friendsfan101, the title of this fic is like the title of the song by Jay Brannan. Because we have the same exact awesome taste in music, I thought you would want to know ;)_

~.~

"C'mon, Chandler, come out," Rachel called out to Chandler, who was in a fitting room of a department store, doing as promised and letting her dress him.

"Yea, c'mon, Chandler," Julie, Ross's girlfriend added. Julie and Rachel had hit it off after Ross had reconnected with Julie, an old friend from grad school, on his trip to China, Rachel and Julie finding that the few things Ross lacked having in common with Julie, Rachel had in common with her.

Like shopping, for one.

"I'm not some Ken Doll you can just dress up on command," Chandler's voice huffed, muffled by the fitting room door.

"You agreed to this, remember?" Rachel added, knocking on the door, and Chandler sheepishly appeared a moment later, though half-hidden behind the door.

"I agreed to shopping with you, not with spectators," Chandler glanced at Julie, who smiled in return. "No offense," he added, and she held up her hands, not offended.

"Are you coming all the way out here, or do you want me to come in there?" Rachel raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well," Chandler grinned, and Rachel stepped forward, around the door, hitting him lightly on the arm. Chandler sighed, slowly stepping the rest of the way out of the room. "Are these pants too tight?" he asked, looking at his butt in the mirror, and both girls looked at that aforementioned area, immediately shaking their heads.

"Definitely not," Rachel shook her head, taking another step towards him as she slightly adjusted the collar of his black dress shirt. "You look very handsome," she added, reassuringly, "you just need," she trailed off, holding up a finger before running off. Chandler looked questioningly at Julie, who shrugged, but Rachel reappeared a moment later with a tie, holding it out for him.

"That is pink," Chandler shook his head, not taking it.

"Pink…ish," Rachel shook her head. "I'd call it salmon." Chandler took a step back, shaking his head. "C'mon."

"Wearing a pink tie might undue the good that you being my date does," he again shook his head, backing up, his back hitting the mirror.

"No, it just shows you're comfortable enough in your masculinity to wear pink," Rachel added, standing in front of him. Chandler shrugged, giving in as Rachel leaned closer, reaching around his neck to put the tie in place, fingertips close to his neck as she tied it.

"How do you know how to tie a tie?" Chandler asked, impressed with a girl who could do so.

"My dad showed me once when I asked," she finished tying it, patting him on the chest before spinning him around to look in the mirror with her. "See? You look good," she leaned close to his neck, wrapping her arms around him, straightening out his tie from behind.

Chandler shrugged, unconvinced, and slightly unnerved at the quickening of his heartbeat with Rachel leaning so close, breathing on the back of his neck.

"Fine, try the other shirt on," Rachel took a step back.

"But you said this looks good," Chandler whined, heading back into the dressing room, but doing as he was told.

"You're good at this," Julie pointed out as Rachel again took a seat next to her.

"What, dressing Chandler?" she laughed.

"Picking out outfits for people. You should do this for a living."

"Yes, get paid to shop," Rachel smiled, "that's the dream."

"Seriously," Julie shook her head. "Don't rich people pay people to dress them?"

Rachel paused, thinking for a moment before Chandler again stepped out of the fitting room, this time in a dark blue dress shirt.

Rachel and Julie both nodded immediately. "That one," they said in unison.

Chandler grinned. "Sweet, no tie," he added, before heading back into the dressing room to change. "Anything else for this Ken Doll, Rach?" Chandler asked, throwing the selected shirt and pants over the top of the stall door. Rachel walked over, grabbing them.

"Mmmm."

"I'll take that, 'mmmm' as a no," Chandler opened the door, though he was still finishing buttoning up the bowling shirt he had been wearing.

"Well, I'll dress you up all day if you let me," Rachel smiled as Chandler grabbed the other outfit he had tried on, heading to the registers to pay. "Buying that one, too?"

Chandler shrugged. "I can always use more work clothes," he added, the girls stopping to wait as he continued on to pay.

"Question," Julie said quietly.

"Hm?" Rachel asked, still watching Chandler.

"Do you like him?"

"What, Chandler?" Rachel laughed, the thought of which amused her. Of course she didn't like Chandler. He was…well, Chandler.

"You guys are kind of flirty-"

"That's just Chandler," Rachel brushed it off. "He's completely harmless."

"Well, why not?" Julie asked. "He's cute, sweet, funny…is there something wrong with him?"

"Do _you_ want to date Chandler?" Rachel asked, jokingly, looking up as Chandler turned back towards them, grinning at her as he walked back.

Julie looked from Chandler back to Rachel. "Do you?"

"Where to next, ladies?" Chandler asked, returning to Rachel's side as she quietly mulled over Julie's question, realizing she had never even thought of Chandler in that context. When she moved in with Monica, the three guys just kind of came as part of the deal, and she'd never given any of them much thought, Ross because she'd known him forever, Joey because he was…Joey, and Chandler…well, Chandler was Chandler, but not in the same way that Joey was Joey.

"Well, Rachel was saying she was hungry, but I actually have to get going back to work, so you guys have fun at lunch," Julie looked down at her watch, watching Rachel as she presumed she continued to mull over the thought of Chandler.

"Lunch, Rach?" Chandler asked Rachel, who shot a look at Julie, as if to say she could tell what she was doing, attempting to play matchmaker.

"Sure," Rachel nodded. "Lunch would be great."

"Well, I'll see you guys later, then," Julie said, turning to go.

"Bye, Julie."

"See you later."

"Where do you want to go for lunch?" Chandler asked, Rachel falling into step with him as they headed out of the store, Rachel still thinking through what Julie had asked.

~.~

"This may be the worst movie ever made," Chandler leaned close to Rachel, whispering, though there was only an older couple near the front of the movie theatre since it was the middle of the day on a weekday. After lunch, Chandler had asked if Rachel wanted to hang out for the rest of the day, since he had taken the day off work. He'd said she didn't have to spend her day off with him, but…he had been having fun so far.

And she agreed.

They ended up at the movie theatre, and picked the movie with the next starting time, though that seemed to be a mistake.

"I may have nightmares about this movie," Rachel replied.

"What, about the world actually turning into a Waterworld?"

"God, no," Rachel snorted. "Just nightmares of watching this movie over and over."

Chandler laughed loudly in reply, stopping when an usher appeared beside them. The kid, who couldn't have possibly been any older than a teenager, looked at them sternly before continuing past.

"I think that was our warning," Chandler whispered to Rachel, who giggled.

"What do you think happens next time he walks by and we're still talking?"

~.~

"Well," Chandler held open the door for Rachel, who walked outside, before following her, "apparently, that's what happens when he walks by again and we're still talking."

"Or it may have been the fact that you asked him if it would have been better if we moved to the back row and made out instead," Rachel pointed out, and Chandler shrugged. "I've never been kicked out of a movie before," she laughed, squinting in the bright sunlight, which was a stark contrast to the cold bite of the air.

"You know, me neither," Chandler laughed. "I can't say I wish I got to see the end, though."

"Oh, no, definitely not," Rachel agreed.

"You can thank me later," Chandler grinned, winking at her, and Rachel smiled before looking away, wondering if the sudden effect Chandler seemed to be having on her was purely because of Julie's suggestion to her, or something else. During the half of the movie they had gotten to see, Chandler had leaned close to her, whispering his own dialogue and commentary in her ear, both of them laughing. Every time he grabbed her arm or touched her leg, she took note, and wondered why she had never noticed before how physical of a person he was.

Rachel glanced at Chandler, who looked back at her, returning the smile she gave him as they continued walking.

"Coffee?"

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather not have to smell coffee on my day off."

Chandler laughed. "Right. I always forget about that."

Rachel let the silence hang as they continued towards their building. He held open the door for her, though his hands were full, brushing against her as he followed her inside and up the stairs.

God, she was like a teenager with a crush, taking every simple move to mean something entirely different. What was wrong with her?

It had to have been because of what Julie had said.

What else could it be?

"You okay?" Chandler asked Rachel as she unlocked her front door.

"Yea, fine, why?" Rachel asked, spinning back around to face him.

"You've just been quiet since lunch," Chandler shrugged.

"Yea, I'm fine," Rachel opened the door, Chandler following her inside instead of to his own apartment. She watched as he immediately headed to the refrigerator, taking a quick inventory before grabbing a bottle of Yoo-hoo.

What Julie said was just messing with her mind. He was just goofy Chandler. He was drinking chocolate milk, for christ's sake! Who over the age of six habitually drank chocolate milk?

"You sure you're okay?" Chandler looked at her again, heading back towards the door.

Rachel nodded, slightly too fiercely. "I'm sure."

"Well, thanks for taking me shopping, I guess," he smiled to let her know he was only kidding.

"Thanks for getting us kicked out of that terrible movie," Rachel shot back, causing his smile to widen.

"Anytime," he replied, hand on the doorknob, pausing slightly. "See ya later."

"Bye," Rachel replied, staring after him once the door was closed. She shook her head to clear her mind.

Damn Julie, messing with her head like that.

"Oh, hey, I meant to ask," Chandler opened the door back up, "since you got to pick out what I'm wearing, does that mean I get to dress you?"

Rachel laughed slightly. "Bye, Chandler."

"See you at seven, Rach," he replied, again closing the door behind him.

Rachel turned away from the door. Yea, that Julie sure was writing a novel of some sort with her crazy plotline suggestion of her and Chandler. What would Julie think up next? That Rachel also secretly had feelings for Ross and was going to steal him away from her? Ha! Or, maybe it was Joey she had feelings for….

Rachel shook her head, laughing to herself as she headed to her bedroom to decide what she was going to wear later to the party.

~.~

_Reviews? Pretty please and thanks :)_


	4. The Date

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 3: The Date**

~.~

"Hey, Phoebs," Chandler greeted Phoebe, the only one present as he walked into Monica and Rachel's apartment wearing the dress pants and shirt Rachel had picked out for him.

"Look at you, all fancy," she looked him up and down.

"Rachel thanks you for that," he smiled at her. "Is she ready yet?"

"Is she ready yet," Phoebe laughed slightly. "Did you just meet Rachel?"

"I'm fifteen minutes late. I planned accordingly," he smiled, looking up as Rachel's bedroom door opened. She walked out, wearing a long, deep blue dress, almost black it was so blue, but just blue enough to bring out her eyes. There was a slit up the back, surely, he thought, surely just to tease men by giving them a glimpse of her legs as she walked, ever so gracefully in the kind of heels that made him grimace to think about a person putting something like that on their feet, but that Rachel walked in as if they were a worn-in pair of sneakers. God, there was something about a woman wearing shoes like that. Hair up. Bare shoulders-

"Close your mouth," Phoebe whispered to Chandler as Rachel walked closer to them, and he did so.

"I-you look," Chandler stumbled over his tongue, which was suddenly posing a problem by simply being in his mouth. It was only Rachel. His tongue should pose no such problems. "I'm really glad you picked out my clothes, because that's definitely the outfit I had planned on wearing, and that would have just been embarrassing if we showed up in the same thing," he shrugged casually, pulling on the coat he had in his hands.

Rachel snickered slightly, picking up her coat from the back of the couch. "I'll take a joke from you as a compliment," she smiled, pulling it on. "Ready?" she asked as she headed towards the door, Chandler not moving from his spot in the kitchen.

"Y-yes," Chandler again found himself fumbling for words, but at least got his legs to work.

"You guys have fun," Phoebe called out as they left.

"Bye, Phoebs," Chandler replied, placing a hand on Rachel's lower back as they walked through the door.

"Bye," Rachel replied as well as they left, Chandler pulling the door shut behind them, pausing as they reached the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, Chandler pulled himself together, reminding himself it was only Rachel, his friend Rachel, Rachel whom he had seen everyday now for well over a year. "You look…beautiful," he breathed out.

"Thank you," she smiled in reply. "From that reaction, I figured you thought as much."

Chandler smiled sheepishly as Rachel linked arms with him, heading down the stairs and out the door. She pulled his body closer to hers as the bite of the December air hit once they were outside, watching as Chandler effortlessly stepped forward and held up his hand, a cab immediately stopping. After living in the city again for a little over a year, Rachel still marveled at some people's ability to get cabs to just…stop. She had learned that, being a pretty girl, she could get people to do all kinds of things for her, but getting a New York City cab to stop was not one of them. But, Chandler, of all people, it seemed, was someone who could.

He held the door open for her as she stepped in, following her quickly and pulling the door shut behind him, though not fast enough to stop the cold air from following them inside. As he gave the driver the address, he slid closer to her on the seat, until his leg was flush up against hers, and for the second time in five minutes, she thought of Chandler Bing as capable of being suave.

Who knew.

~.~

"Wow, you have an actual office," Rachel looked around in disbelief as they slipped into his office to drop off their coats. "With a desk and a window and everything," she continued, slipping her coat off as she walked over to the window.

"And you were expecting…?" Chandler reached for her coat, setting it, along with his coat, on the back of his chair.

"I don't know. Smaller. No window. A cubicle with walls," she shrugged, turning to face him. "No offense."

"None taken," Chandler laughed.

"Just, for how serious you seem to take your job-"

"Yea, no, makes sense," Chandler shrugged, brushing it off. "Are you ready for so much fun you won't be able to contain yourself?" he asked, tone thick with sarcasm, and Rachel laughed.

"Am I ever," she smiled, letting him lead her out of his office and down the hall to where the party was, his hand on her lower back as he did so. She gave him another hypothetical point in her head, wondering if he was really as bad with women as he always claimed to be.

As the warmness of his hand left her back, she stopped, turning to the make-shift bar where he had stopped at to get them drinks. "White, right?" he asked, grabbing a glass of white wine for her and red for himself.

"Right," she smiled, taking the glass as he offered it. "How'd you know that?"

"Oh, I don't know, I've only seen you approximately three hundred sixty four of the last three hundred sixty five days, and I may or may not actually pay attention from time to time," he grinned, taking her hand, noticing that a few people were looking over at them and had noticed him coming in with her. "What?" he asked, off of the look she was giving him.

"Nothing," Rachel shook her head, trying to clear it as she took a drink, letting the sweet wine flow over her tongue. He seemed different tonight, but she wasn't sure exactly how to describe it. Maybe it was just the idea that Julie planted in her head earlier. Or, maybe it was something else. "It's just…you're slightly unpredictable," she finally added.

"Huh," Chandler thought that through, taking a drink of his own wine. "Oh, no."

"What?" Rachel looked over to where he was looking, a tall, red-haired woman walking towards them.

"That's Randy," he looked quickly at the woman and then back to Rachel. "She will talk for hours. Avoid eye contact. Maybe she won't come over here," he added quickly, attempting to turn away.

Rachel glanced up, where Randy was still heading towards them. "Too late."

"Brace yourself," Chandler said softly, leaning slightly closer to Rachel. Rachel squeezed his hand before releasing it, leaning into him and allowing his arm to slip around her waist, the feeling of his fingertips again playing against her lower back interrupting all other thoughts and making it hard to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

Unpredictable, indeed.

~.~

"Um," Rachel scanned the room, her vision landing on a pretty girl around their age, standing on the opposite side of the room talking to a couple of men. "Her. What's her story?"

"Jessica," Chandler smirked. "Female version of Joey."

"Huh," Rachel nodded, scanning the room for the next victim of their gossip, glad that after mingling for a while, Chandler was indulging her love of gossip by telling her the inside scoop on all of his colleagues. "Her," she then nodded to a slightly more homely looking woman who was probably in her late forties.

Chandler laughed, leaning back against the desk behind them. "Ally. She…has so many cats, the health department is probably going to show up any day now."

Rachel laughed at that as well, again scanning the room as she finished off her current glass of wine, this time nodding to a man standing by himself in a corner. "Him?"

"That's Mitch," Chandler leaned closer to Rachel as he took her empty glass from her, setting it beside his empty glass on the desk, talking slightly quieter this time. "I've never had an actual conversation with him. Actually, I'm not sure he talks to anyone. I'm pretty sure it's eventually going to come out that he's a serial killer."

"So glad you would bring me somewhere that there's a serial killer," Rachel cocked her head to the side.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Chandler smiled, and Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Okay, well, I can run really fast, and I'll try to let you keep up."

Rachel laughed at that, looking to the middle of the room at what had become, thanks to the open bar, a make shift dance floor, a few couples now dancing.

"Dance?" she suggested, nodding in that direction as a slow song began playing.

Chandler made a face at that. "I don't dance."

"Says the man who owes me."

"You really want to waste that on dancing with me?" Chandler raised his eyebrows, and watched as Rachel thought that one over. "Didn't think so." Rachel didn't respond, but instead tried her best puppy-dog look on him. Sad eyes, slight pout, that look had gotten her through her first twenty-three years of life.

Chandler sighed. Damn her. She was good at that. "Fine," he stood up from where he had been leaning back against the desk, letting her pull him over to the dance floor. "That guy?" he whispered against the back of her neck, motioning to a couple dancing as they walked over to the dance floor, "that's _not_ his wife…."

Rachel smiled at that as they stopped walking, sighing with content as Chandler slid his surprisingly strong arms around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, the silk of his dress shirt sliding across them.

"It's funny," Rachel finally said quietly, smiling up at him.

"What?"

"Seeing a side of you I haven't seen before."

"What's funny about it?"

"For one, people call you 'Mr. Bing,'" she laughed. "So official."

"Only the ones who are trying to suck up to me," he laughed, as well.

"And there's another one. You have people trying to suck up to you," Rachel continued. "I, on the other hand, am a waitress. I don't know that there's anyone in the world who would try to suck up to me."

"Busboys?" Chandler offered.

"I bus my own tables," Rachel shook her head.

"Oh," Chandler replied, stopping racking his brain for something that would make her feel better about that as she leaned into him, resting her head against his chest, his heart skipping a beat as she did so. She had been a good sport all night, meeting his co-workers, who were everything from boring to crazy, and smiling and laughing politely as they made small-talk. Besides owing her, he made a mental note to do something nice for her for playing along with being his girlfriend for the night.

Rachel, however, was thinking that she had seen not only one side of Chandler she hadn't seen before, a Work Chandler, but a second side of him: Date Chandler. And, rather surprisingly, he wasn't bad at it. He held her hand, he kissed her cheek, he made sure she was included in the conversations with his colleagues, and the way he brushed his fingertips across her lower back from time to time made her wonder if there was any way in hell he was as bad at the whole dating thing as he claimed to be. And he was surprisingly charming chatting with his colleagues, not trying to hard to be funny, like he too often seemed to do.

But, he was funny. And tall, Rachel suddenly noticed, realizing how much taller he was than she. Had he always been that tall? And his shoulders seemed wider than she remembered. Maybe he just always projected a much smaller image of himself, and that was why.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight," Chandler finally said softly, interrupting Rachel's internal inventory of him.

Rachel leaned back, only slightly, looking up at him, small smile playing on her lips. Had his eyes always been that blue, too? Maybe he had always been that tall, but if his eyes had always been that blue, she surely would have noticed before that moment. Sometime in the past year, or on one of the many times meeting him when they were younger, she would have noticed.

Or, maybe it was just that she had never seen this side of him, never considered this side of him before. Chandler Bing was a man. A tall man, a funny man, a…sexy man? A man whose arm around her all night had been sending butterflies racing through her stomach, and whose smile suddenly made her heart race.

"I had fun," she finally replied, finding her voice somewhere in the bundle of nerves that was her stomach at the moment. She wanted to attribute the knot in her stomach he was suddenly causing to the one-too-many glasses of wine she had drank throughout the night, but she knew she wasn't drunk. Slightly buzzed, but not drunk. This was an entirely different feeling, an entirely different rush.

"Really?" Chandler asked, not convinced she was having fun.

And, there it was, the reason he didn't do better with women: lack of self-esteem.

"Really," Rachel replied as sincerely as she could, and the look in her eyes, the intensity she was looking at him with, made him forget for a split second that this wasn't a real date. As the song that was playing ended, fading into a faster-paced song, the two continued dancing closely, holding the gaze.

He could almost swear she wanted him to kiss her.

And, he was pretty sure that at that moment, he wanted to kiss her, too. He'd honestly never really thought of her that way. Or, even more honestly, never allowed himself to think of her in that way. Ross had always liked her, and, besides, she was not at all his type.

But, at that moment, god, did he want to kiss her.

But, she was Rachel. Surely, he thought, surely, she didn't want to kiss him. That was a crazy thought. Ha! Rachel Green wanted to kiss him. She could, in all certainty, have any man in the room, and she wanted to kiss him. Him, Chandler. He was only Chandler. Her goofy friend Chandler.

That look, though…her fingertips lightly brushing the back of his neck sending goosebumps up his spine….

And she leaned in, against him completely, the curves of her body fitting into all the right places in his body as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. Chandler fought with himself over a sudden inability to swallow. He rested his cheek against her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. It was the middle of December, but, god, she smelled like summertime.

He leaned back slightly, so she looked up. Fingertips still sliding up and down his neck, eyes softer now….

If Rachel Green wanted him to kiss her, who was he to turn her down?

Chandler hesitated for only a moment before closing the very small distance between them, brushing his lips slowly across hers, waiting for a reaction to tell him he had read every signal she just gave him wrong. But the moment their lips met, she was no longer Friend Rachel, and he was no longer Goofy Chandler. They were RachelAndChandler. And as lips parted, where they were was at least partially forgotten, hearts racing as they stopped moving, Chandler's hands on either side of her face, hers still on his neck.

And then Randy's voice, somewhere in the near distance, brought them back to the party.

Chandler pulled back slightly, completely out of breath, ready to apologize in case he had been completely mistaken by her look, but she had been too wrapped up in the kiss as well to need an apology. Rachel bit her bottom lip sheepishly as she leaned slightly away from him, glancing around the room.

Chandler cleared his throat, glancing around as well. "I think we were just _that couple_," he whispered, leaning closer to her. Rachel laughed slightly at that, noticing a few people had been watching them.

They certainly knew who was going to be the topic of gossip on Monday morning.

Chandler paused, looking at his shoes, unsure of himself and if the following sentence would be taken in the wrong way. Or, moreover, if he wanted it to be taken in that way.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked slowly, and was nothing but relieved when Rachel eagerly nodded, taking his hand as they headed back to his office for their coats.

Chandler grabbed Rachel's coat, holding it out to help her put it on. Rachel accepted, slipping her arms into it, the two now awkwardly silent. As his fingertips brushed her bare shoulder, though, she turned to face him.

"Sorry," he whispered, not sure if he was apologizing for the kiss or the awkwardness, but feeling the need to get that word out.

Rachel shook her head slowly before leaning in to kiss him again, though this time not as slow, lips beating down on lips, as if this was what they were meant to have been doing for the past year they had known each other. Chandler moved two steps, pulling Rachel with him, slamming his office door closed as they continued the kiss, his hands wandering from either side of her hips beneath her coat to tangled in her hair, her fingertips clutching the back of his dress shirt.

Why hadn't they been doing this for the past fifteen months they had been living less than one hundred feet from one another?

As the kisses slowed down, Chandler brushed his thumbs across her face, her arms still around him.

Was he just making out with Rachel Green? Was Rachel Green just making out with him? And looking at him in the way that meant she wanted to get out of there with him? That was the look she was giving him, right?

The soft sigh she let out said that if her look didn't.

"Wanna go home?" he whispered, and she nodded, releasing her arms as he moved to get his own coat, her hand finding his again as they headed out of his office and towards the door.

The cab ride home was short, Rachel's body pressed against Chandler's in the backseat, her hand resting on his knee, his around her securely. They didn't say a word, though the earlier awkwardness had been erased by the making out that followed, they were simply silent, eagerly awaiting arriving home.

And when they got there, they made their way up the stairs, hesitating between apartments. They were slightly closer to his, and Chandler could tell she wanted to come in. She wanted to come in. Rachel Green. Wanted to come inside with him.

"I, uh, I had a lot of fun tonight," Rachel finally said softly, squeezing his hands as she spoke.

"Me, too," Chandler smiled, stepping even closer. He looked down, needing to look away from the wanting look in her eyes. _Do you want to come in?_ He asked in his head, repeated it in his head. _Do you want to come in?_ But he couldn't get the words out. What if she had simply had too much wine and gotten caught up in the moment? What if-

What if her fingertips were still laced between his, and her thumbs were tracing small circles on the sides of his hands. Oh, she was making this hard.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" he finally asked slowly.

"I, um, what?" Rachel asked, that question not being the one she expected to follow.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow night? I have, um, Knicks tickets, and, um, do you want to, would you want to go with me?" he stumbled over his words, his smoothness from the rest of the night fading.

Rachel smiled at that. A date. He was asking her out on a date.

"I mean, if you already have plans-"

"I don't have plans," Rachel cut him off, recognizing the panic in his eyes. "I'd love to go to the game with you," she smiled.

"Really?" Chandler grinned, and she nodded. "'Kay."

"'Kay," Rachel repeated, and he realized that she still wanted to come in. God, so did he. But, if she came in tonight…this could all be one huge mistake in the morning. One big, huge, awkward, messy mistake. One big, huge, awkward, messy mistake he would have to face everyday.

"Goodnight," Chandler finally whispered, using every ounce of self-control he could muster not to ask if she wanted to come in. He leaned in to kiss her goodnight, brushing his lips against hers, pausing only a moment before pulling back, though that was far from what he wanted to be doing at the moment.

"Night," Rachel whispered in reply, already missing the warmth of his body against hers as he pulled away and stepped back towards his door.

"See you tomorrow," Chandler added, unlocking his door before walking inside.

"See you tomorrow," Rachel echoed, walking to her own door, both of them pausing momentarily before they walked into their own apartments.

Rachel sighed once she was inside, closing the door behind her.

"Hey!" Phoebe greeted Rachel from her spot on the couch.

"Hey," Rachel didn't try to hold back her grin as she sat down beside her, coat still on.

"How was your night, Miss Smiley?" Phoebe asked, turning the volume on the TV down.

"Good," Rachel smiled, nodded, ran through the night in her head. "Really good. But I think…I think I just went on a date with Chandler."

"Wasn't that kinda of the point?" Phoebe asked.

"No, I was just supposed to be his date to the party," Rachel spoke slowly. "But I definitely just went on a _date_ with _Chandler_."

"Wait, what?" Phoebe now switched off the TV altogether, turning to Rachel, who was still smiling. "What happened? Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him? How did it turn into a date? Why are you home so early?" Phoebe asked eagerly, bouncing slightly on the couch. "I always thought it would be you and Ross and Chandler and Monica, but this works, too. Fill me in!"

"Wait, what?" Rachel shook her head. "Me and Ross?'

"Yea, well," Phoebe shook her head as well. "Not important! What happened tonight with Chandler?"

Rachel smiled, finally sliding her coat off. "I don't know," she shrugged, still grinning hopelessly. "I don't know what happened tonight. I don't know at what point in the night he went from being Chandler to _Chandler_," she drug out his name, and Phoebe grinned at the reaction. "I just-I saw a different side of him, and…I don't know," Rachel shrugged. "We're going out again tomorrow night."

"Like a date?"

"Very much like a date," Rachel replied, still smiling. "Damn, Julie was right."

"What?"

"Nothing," Rachel shook her head. "I'm going to bed," she stood up.

"Already?"

Rachel again smiled. "You know how when you have a really, really good night, and you don't want anything to ruin it, so you just want to go to bed and have it be tomorrow?"

"Aw," Phoebe smiled. "Rachel and Chandler, sitting in a tree," she began singing playfully.

"Phoebs-"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"Good night, Phoebe," Rachel laughed, shaking her head as she headed towards her room.

"First comes love-"

Rachel cut off Phoebe's singing as she closed her bedroom door, leaning heavily against it, head spinning from the events of the evening.

What the hell just happened tonight?


	5. The Real First Date

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 4: The Real First Date**

~.~

_Wow, uh, it's been awhile since I updated, this, huh? I'm glad a few people have liked this enough to continue to bug me to continue… :) I have this whole story plotted out in my head, so, really it is just a matter of time. I will finish it. It just…might take awhile._

_Also (shameless self-promotion), I'm currently co-writing a Mondler fic called "TOW You've Got Mail" with CSINYLovexx4ever. So, if you're a Mondler fan, you should probably check that out. ;) Just sayin'...  
_

~.~

Rachel woke up, glancing at her alarm clock and smiling to herself when she realized she had fifteen minutes before it went off. She switched it off, much preferring to wake up on her own. She only had a short mid-day shift at work today, and then tonight…a date with Chandler.

Chandler.

A date. With. Chandler.

She closed her eyes, stretching out as she replayed the entire past day with him. Shopping, lunch, the movie…him picking her up, the ride to the party, his arm around her all night, dancing, kissing. More kissing. And a little more kissing.

Rachel sat up, suddenly aware of the grin plastered to her face.

Was she really dating Chandler? Because it was certainly looking that way. Could she date Chandler? _Chandler_? Rather, should she date Chandler? Regardless, it seemed to be happening.

Climbing out of bed, Rachel headed for her door, smelling what had to be pancakes coming from the kitchen.

"Morning," Joey was the first to greet her, since he was sitting in the chair at the kitchen table facing her room.

"Morning," Rachel replied, Chandler looking up at the sound of her voice. Their eyes met momentarily, and she smiled slightly, taking a seat next to him at the table. From the lack of any kind of innuendo towards the subject, she assumed that Phoebe hadn't told anyone what had happened last night, and was guessing Chandler hadn't, either, which was probably for the best right now. They didn't need everyone making a big deal out of something that was barely even happening yet.

"Pancakes, Rach?" Monica asked, standing at the stove cooking.

Rachel nodded. "Thanks."

"How was the party last night, Rach?" Joey asked her through a mouthful of pancakes. "Chandler said it was actually pretty fun, but, well…look what he does for a living. His expectations for 'fun' probably aren't set very high," he laughed at his own joke, forking another stack of pancakes on his plate.

Rachel glanced at Chandler for a moment, and then back to Joey. "Yea, no, it was actually pretty fun," Rachel nodded. "You know, for an office party," she added as an afterthought.

"Huh," Joey said, taking another bite.

"Hey, I worked there for a couple of weeks, and not everyone that works there is as dull as Chandler," Phoebe pointed out, referring to when she had filled in for his secretary.

"Thanks, Phoebs," Chandler said sarcastically, but when he turned to look at her, she smiled, winking at him. Chandler looked at her for a minute longer, then to Rachel, who had bit her bottom lip nervously. Luckily, neither Joey nor Monica realized there was anything to pick up on.

"Do you work this afternoon?" Monica asked, looking at Rachel. "Julie, Phoebe, and I were going to go to a movie and to dinner after, if you want to come."

"I work, sorry," Rachel smiled apologetically. It was the half-truth. She worked. Not late enough to not be able to go with them, but she did work. Rachel glanced at Phoebe, who smirked knowingly, before looking at Chandler, who was looking down at his food, but glanced up and smiled slightly as he caught her gaze.

"Okay, well, if you get off early," Monica shrugged, making herself a plate of food.

Rachel nodded, still staring back at Chandler. "Yea, I'll let you know…."

~.~

Rachel sat elbow-to-elbow with Chandler, in what she was almost sure where pretty good seats at the Knicks game. She knew absolutely nothing about basketball, and probably cared a little less than she knew. But, she was there, on a date, with Chandler, and that was (surprisingly, since she usually wanted to do something she cared a bit more about on a date) what mattered.

Rachel laughed out loud slightly, Chandler looking over when she did.

"What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, smiling. "I just don't know how you know what's going on," Rachel motioned to the court. "They run back and forth way too quickly to keep up with. I don't even know who's going which way…."

Chandler laughed slightly at that. "We're going that way," he pointed.

"Okay, so I cheer when it goes in that hoop," Rachel nodded.

"We don't have to stay for the whole game if you don't want…"

"It's fine," Rachel shrugged. "It's almost the end of the second half anyway."

Chandler laughed harder at that. "Rach, basketball has quarters."

Rachel laughed, also. "Right."

"We really don't have to stay until the end. We could go to dinner?"

Rachel nodded. "If you really don't mind leaving early…."

Chandler shrugged. "I would much rather be at a hockey game than a basketball game, but I got the tickets from a guy at work, so," he shrugged. "Just never, under any circumstances, let Joey know that we left a Knicks game before it was over."

"I think I can handle that," Rachel smiled, realizing that, at some point in there, Chandler had taken her hand in his. Yea, she could definitely handle this.

~.~

Rachel and Chandler paused once they reached the hallway between their apartments, unsure what was supposed to happen now. Their date had very much felt like a date, and they had made small talk and followed up with stories they had never told each other, saying things they would normally say on a first date and then some, since they were on a date with each other.

"So," Chandler smiled nervously.

"So," Rachel echoed, neither of them making a move. He'd kissed her on the cheek when he picked her up, and they had held hands, touched, flirted all night, but hadn't actually kissed. This moment, though, although the past two nights seemed to already be crossing the line from friends to something more, really solidified it.

"Do you want to come in?" Chandler finally asked. "Hang out, or something? It's still pretty early, so I feel like, if you go home, and I go home, it's eventually going to end with us hanging out for the rest of the night anyway..."

Rachel smiled, nodding as Chandler unlocked his door, following him inside. The second the door closed behind them, he kissed her, and she kissed frantically back, doing this with him having been on her mind for a good portion of the day. They both hastily discarded their coats on the foosball table, moving backwards towards the couch.

"Rach," Chandler started, not complaining when she cut him off with another kiss, in fact, returning it just as eagerly as they still stood in front of the couch. "We should…probably…talk first…" he managed to get out between kisses.

"Probably," Rachel agreed, though she continued to kiss him, his hands on either side of her waist, holding her close.

And they kissed for a few more minutes, until their hurried kisses slowed, and finally stopped, the two of them were standing in the middle of his living room, arms still around each other, faces inches apart, staring each other in the eye.

"Hi," Rachel finally whispered, mouth curling into a smile.

"Hi," Chandler replied, moving his hands from resting on her hips to slowly moving up her back, and then back down. "Are we doing this?" Chandler finally asked. "Like, really doing this?"

Rachel smiled at his slight uncertainty. "It would appear that way..."

"Kay," Chandler smiled, leaning down to kiss her once more, both of them dropping their arms this time, sensing they actually may need to talk. "Hey, um, if we are really doing this, before anything happens, I, um, I kind of feel like I need to talk to Ross," Chandler sat down on the couch, Rachel follow suit.

"What? Why?"

"You don't know that he liked you?"

"You mean back in high school?" Rachel laughed. "I think he'll get over it."

"I mean up until about six months ago," Chandler added.

"What?"

"Yea, and, someone," Chandler motioned to himself, "may have been the one to tell him to get over you, so, this," he motioned between the two of them, "may not look so good if I don't go to him first."

"Huh."

Chandler watched her for a moment. "I don't know what your 'huh's' mean…."

Rachel shook her head. "I just, I had no idea," she shrugged. "I mean, my first night in the city, he said something about asking me out sometime, but then he never did, so I just assumed…."

"Are you…mad?" Chandler asked slowly.

"No. No, just…a bit flabbergasted by it," Rachel shook her head. "Yea, no, talk to Ross first," she nodded. "We'll just keep this quiet until then."

"You mean other than telling Phoebe?" Chandler asked with a teasing grin.

Rachel smiled. "Other than telling Phoebe…."

Chandler smiled as Rachel leaned closer to him on the couch. "Wanna watch a movie or something?"

"I can't promise you much of the movie will actually get watched..." Rachel grinned suggestively.

Chandler nodded, kissing her again, this time slowly, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "You know, I think I can live with that…."


	6. The Morning After

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 5: The Morning After**

~.~

_Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm going to go ahead and update since this is written, because short updates are better than no updates! I wrote this entire chapter in about an hour while taking a break from studying/sitting up watching TV at 2 AM because there are tornado warnings not too far away and tornados scare the crap out of me….so, excuse any typos…._

~.~

Chandler woke up on the couch, aware in his fog of sleep that Rachel was still snuggled up beside him. He knew when they had laid down and he'd pulled the blanket over them that they were going to fall asleep that way, not very long after discussing keeping the two of them to themselves and not letting their relationship go any further until he talked to Ross about it. Yet, they both cuddled up in front of some movie neither of them had any intention of watching, made out for a short time, and fell asleep, still wrapped up in each other. He felt like a teenager who had just done the same thing, waking up in the middle of the night and praying his parents wouldn't catch him—only it wasn't his parents. He knew in all actuality Joey could come home from his date at any moment, or Monica could come over in search or Rachel since she hadn't seen her all evening.

Yet, he continued to lay there, her head against his chest, his arm asleep from the position she was laying on it in, her slow, steady breathing nearly lulling him back to sleep. He let his eyes linger shut a few moments longer, enjoying the newness, the exactingness of their relationship and the moment and feelings that would be hard to recreate or pinpoint later on. Finally opening his eyes, he squinted across the room at the time on the VCR: 2:47. If she wasn't going to spend the night, she probably needed to leave.

"Rach," Chandler whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead as he shifted slightly. "Rach," he repeated, and she stirred slightly.

"Hm?"

"Not that I don't want you to spend the night, but if you're not going to, you should probably go. It's almost three."

"How is it almost three?" Rachel groaned, sitting up as she rubbed at her neck from sleeping in the same position on the couch for the past few hours. Chandler shrugged, sitting up beside her. "Don't look at me like that," she smiled slightly at the look he was giving her.

"Like what?" Chandler asked, the room dark other than the glow from the TV.

"Like you don't want me to leave," she replied, leaning in to kiss him.

"Mmm, but I don't," he mumbled against her lips, pulling her closer.

"But I should?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Probably," Chandler replied, kissing her again, drawing it out as long as possible. "I'll walk you home," he grinned slightly as she pulled back, and Rachel laughed, standing up and grabbing her shoes, Chandler following her over to the door, waiting as she also grabbed her coat.

"What time do you work until tomorrow?" he asked quietly, wrapping his arms around her waist as she stopped in front of him.

"Five," she replied, kissing him once more, almost losing any self-control she had and deciding to stay there with him.

"Kay," he whispered, kissing her once, twice, three more times. "G'night," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Night," Rachel replied, closing her eyes, letting him hold her.

Chandler laughed quietly. "You leaving?"

Rachel opened her eyes, smiling back at him. "Mmm-hmm."

"See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," Rachel nodded, standing on her toes to give him one last kiss, before pulling herself away from him.

"Night," Chandler whispered, opening the door for her.

"Night," Rachel replied, walking across the hall, glancing back at him and offering one last sleepy smile before opening her own door. Chandler smiled back before closing his door as Rachel walked through her own.

"So, your date with Chandler went well, then?" Phoebe's voice from the couch made Rachel jump, dropping her shoes and coat to the floor, not expecting anyone else to be up.

"Jesus, Phoebs!" Rachel covered her chest with her hands. "What are you doing here?"

"You went on a date with Chandler? Ha!" Julie's sleeping form became clear in the dark from the loveseat as Rachel's eyes adjusted to the dark.

"What are you guys doing?" Rachel asked, picking up her shoes and coat as she headed into the living room.

"Having a little sleepover," Phoebe explained, as if that should have been obvious. "Girls night out turned into girls night in, and we may or may not have used up the rest of the ice in the freezer making margaritas."

"Monica wondered where you were when she went to bed, but Phoebe told her you had a date and not to worry," Julie explained, also sitting up.

"Did you say who I had a date with?" Rachel asked slowly, sitting down next to Phoebe.

"Nah. I figured if you guys wanted everyone to know, you would have said something at breakfast instead of just looking at each other like a couple of teenagers," Phoebe grinned at Rachel, who reddened slightly. "So, what happened tonight, Miss Sneaking In at Three AM?"

Rachel smiled. "We went to a basketball game and dinner. Did some kissing then fell asleep on his couch," Rachel shrugged, unable to contain her grin in the short summary.

Julie smiled at her from across the room. "Look how smitten you are!"

Rachel shrugged.

"Totally smitten!" Phoebe agreed, Rachel standing up to go to bed. "Wait, wait, we need more than that!"

Rachel shrugged. "There's nothing else to tell…."

"Is he your boyfriend? Are you going to tell everyone? Where is this going?" Phoebe pleaded.

Rachel turned back as she reached her bedroom door, shaking her head. "You don't get to know things neither of us know for sure. Sorry," she added with a smile, heading into her room. "Night, girls," she added, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, he is totally her boyfriend," Phoebe said as she lay back down on the couch, pulling her blanket with her.

"Definitely," Julie added in agreement. "I called it, by the way."

"Really?" Phoebe asked.

"Mm-hmm," Julie confirmed, stifling a yawn.

"Nice catch," Phoebe nodded slightly. "All of my intuitiveness had the pairings in our group figured all wrong…."

"Hm?" Julie asked, almost asleep.

"Nothing," Phoebe caught herself and what she could be letting Julie in on that she probably shouldn't know. "Night."

"Night."

~.~

Chandler walked into Monica and Rachel's the next morning, knowing that Rachel had already left for work, and relieved when he found that Ross was the only one there.

"Hey," Chandler smiled. "Where's everyone else?"

"Mon's showering. I think Rachel's working. And Phoebe and Julie apparently spent the night after their girl's night and just went home," Ross explained, taking a drink of his coffee. "Haven't seen Joey."

"Me neither," Chandler nodded, taking a seat across from Ross. "Hey, um, can I talk to you for a second?"

Ross looked around. "It would appear so…."

Chandler laughed slightly. "Okay, trying to be serious…." Ross held his hands up as if to say he would be, too. "Okay, so you know how, before you went to China and ran into Julie, you were kind of hung up on Rachel?"

Ross laughed. "Yea, best advice you ever gave me was to get over her, by the way," he patted Chandler on the shoulder as he stood up, walking over to get himself more coffee.

"Right, you remember that."

"Of course I remember that!" Ross turned back to face him. "If I had stayed hung up on Rachel, I never would have let anything happen with Julie, and things are just…so fantastic with her, better than I ever imagined. And we have to much in common, and it's just…" Ross trailed off. "I'm thinking about asking her to move in with me."

"Really?" Chandler asked.

"I know it's kind of soon, but we're constantly going back and forth between our apartments, and we're always together, and she loves all of you, and it just, it works so well. I just-I love her so much. We've been talking about it for a few weeks…."

"Wow, man, that's huge!"

"Yea," Ross nodded. "God, sorry, you wanted to talk about something," Ross sat back down.

Chandler nodded. "Yea, um, well, I kind of wanted to ask you something…."

"Okay…."

"Would you-would it bother you-if I-if something were to happen with Rachel and I?"

"You and Rachel," Ross laughed. "Like, you're going to ask her out sometime? Good luck with that…."

Chandler looked at him, not laughing. "More like, we've already gone out a couple of times, but I wanted to talk to you before anything happened…."

Ross shook his head. "Wait, what?"

Chandler shrugged. "It's not like either of us sought it out, she just, she went with me to this office party at work, and…god, I don't even know what happened. I literally cannot explain with words what has happened with her in the past forty-eight hours. But, I just…" Chandler trailed off, shrugging.

"So, you…and Rachel?" Ross asked slowly.

Chandler nodded, the silence making him uncomfortable.

"Huh."

"Huh, as in…it doesn't bother you?" Chandler asked slowly.

Ross nodded. "You know, at one point in time it would have, but," Ross shrugged. "I have Julie, and things are great with her, and, what, because I had a crush on Rachel at one point in time, you can't date her? That's kind of ridiculous…."

"Really?" Chandler grinned.

"Dude, you don't need my permission…."

"I know, I just…wanted to tell you before anything really happened."

"Well, I appreciate that," Ross nodded, looking at the time. "Speaking of Julie, I was giving her a half-hour head start to wash off her hangover, and then I'm meeting her at her place, so, I'd better get going," Ross set his coffee cup in the sink before heading towards the door. He paused before leaving. "You and Rachel…is kind of hard to wrap my head around," he finally said, turning back towards Chandler. "Just because she was this girl I put on this pedestal for so long. And once I do wrap my head around it, it might-it might be a little weird. But if this is what makes both of you happy…then good luck," Ross added sincerely.

"Thanks, man," Chandler smiled. "That means a lot."

Ross nodded in reply, leaving Chandler to let out an audible sigh of relief once he was gone.

~.~

_Reviews, as always, very appreciated :)_


	7. The Seventeenth Date

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 6: The Seventeenth Date**

~.~

_T-minus twelve days until our wedding reception…I am nothing but relieved that it's almost over since we're doing it completely for our families…since we, ya know, eloped…for a reason… If anyone has a spare girl gene to make me more excited for this, please, send it my way.  
_

_Anyway, thanks SO much for the reviews! Last weekend marked my tenth anniversary on the site-holy crap! If you had told little, junior high Jamie that she would be writing here again when she was an "adult" (I use the term loosely…do I have to be an adult?), she probably would have laughed at you. Of course, she also would have laughed at you if you told her she was going to run a marathon. And be married by now._

_C'est la vie...  
_

~.~

"Hey!" Chandler greeted Rachel from her living room when she got home from work.

"Hey," she smiled back warmly as he stood up from her couch. "Were you waiting for me?"

Chandler smiled sheepishly. "I might have been…."

"Is Monica here?" Rachel asked as Chandler crossed the living room to where she was still standing in the kitchen.

"Nope," Chandler shook his head, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "Just me and you."

Rachel sighed as she melted into his embrace, glad it was just them. "I had the worst day," she sighed into his chest.

"Aw, why?'

"First, I broke a coffee pot not five minutes after I got there this morning, and it's the seventh one I've broken in the last two weeks, so, from now on, everything I break I buy," Rachel started. "And I just kept messing up order after order…worse than usual," Rachel added, more to herself than to him.

"Sorry your day was so bad," Chandler whispered, still holding her.

"Well, you were kind of the thing that was distracting me," Rachel smirked slightly as she pulled back a bit.

"Ouch," Chandler laughed, and Rachel smiled, Chandler leaning in to kiss her before loosening his arms from around her.

"I just really hate my job. And I'm terrible at it. And I hate that I'm terrible at it," Rachel sighed.

"Maybe you're terrible at it _because_ you hate it so much?"

"Oh, no, not maybe," Rachel shook her head, "definitely. I just don't care. I don't care if Miss Uptight's non-fat, extra-foam, two-shot caramel latte is too hot. I don't want to put the trays back in the tray spot. I just, I don't care," Rachel shrugged. "If I wasn't pretty, I wouldn't make any money in tips at all…."

Chandler smiled at that last part. "Why don't you quit if you hate it so much?"

"Asks the man who hates his job?" Rachel raised her eyebrows as she slipped off her shoes, heading for the couch.

"Yes, but there's a money-happiness continuum. If you make enough money, it's okay if you're not happy. They pay me too much to quit. And, last time I tried to quit, they promoted me!" Chandler defended himself, sitting beside her on the couch.

"Hey, I'll quit my job when you quit your job. Deal?"

Chandler smiled. "That could be a fun game, until we both run out of money."

Rachel shook her head at him, leaning against him, and Chandler kissed the back of her head

"At least your job makes you smell like coffee and chocolate," he breathed in the smell of her hair, which she had taken out of its earlier ponytail.

"Well, at least I get one benefit out of working there," Rachel turned to face him, kissing him. "Hey, um, did you by any chance talk to Ross today.

Chandler grinned. "As a matter of fact, that was the only productive thing I did today."

"And?"

Chandler shrugged. "He's okay with it. Not that I was asking for his permission…I just wanted to tell him before he found out some other way."

Rachel nodded. "So, Ross knows, and Phoebe knows, but Monica and Joey don't know?" Chandler nodded. "I should probably talk to Monica."

"Why?" Rachel gave him a look that said he should know the answer to that. "What?" he asked, not understanding the look.

"At no point in the past six or seven years that you guys have been hanging out have neither of you given any thought to…" Rachel trailed off, and Chandler remained quiet. "And that's why I'm going to talk to her," Rachel said quietly.

They both remained silent for a moment, Chandler's arm around Rachel, his hand tracing circles on her side. "We can't count this like a normal relationship, can we? I mean, we've been hanging out every day for over a year, so it's not like counting Friday as a first date, and yesterday as a second…"

Rachel nodded in agreement. "No, it's more like starting from date like…seventeen?"

"Date seventeen?" Chandler laughed.

Rachel shrugged. "Far enough in that you're already kind of committed, but still kind of at that beginning stage…."

Chandler nodded. "Yea, we'll call it date seventeen…."

"Can date seventeen consist of ordering pizza and renting a movie or something?" Rachel asked. "After today, I really don't want to do anything…."

Chandler smiled, leaning in to kiss her. "Date seventeen sounds just about perfect." Rachel kissed back, moving slowly so that she was sitting on his lap straddling him, his hands on either of her thighs, inching up under her skirt as they kissed harder, leaning closer and closer. Rachel's arms wrapped around his neck, his now wrapped around her waist as the kiss intensified, both of them knowing that this was going to go further than the past two nights had gone, so wrapped up in each other they didn't even notice the front door opening as Monica walked in.

"Ohmygod," was all they heard, followed by the door slamming shut as they pulled apart, breathless.

"I'm gonna go talk to Monica," Rachel pointed at the door, and Chandler nodded as she moved off of him.

"Probably a good idea," Chandler agreed, though he'd really rather she stayed and finished what they were doing.

"I'll be right back," Rachel added, leaning down to kiss Chandler again.

"Kay," he replied, watching her as she walked out the door, turning back as she reached it to smile at him before walking out the door and across the hall, hoping Monica had gone to the guys'.

Rachel opened the door slowly, Monica standing in the kitchen by the counter, Joey sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Hey," she started slowly, Monica looking up.

"Hey."

"Look, I kind of wanted to talk to you about, well…that," Rachel pointed towards the door.

"You mean, you and Chandler?"

"Wait, what about you and Chandler?" Joey turned around to face them, turning the volume down on the TV.

"Joey, we're trying to have a conversation," Rachel turned towards him.

"Yea, in _my_ kitchen!" Joey defended himself, standing up. "So, what happened between you and Chandler?" he stood between them, arms crossed in eager anticipation.

"Joe," both girls warned simultaneously.

"Fine," Joey shrugged. "I'll just go talk to Chandler," he walked out the door, leaving the girls alone.

"Why did you want to talk to me about it," Monica shrugged nonchalantly, but it seemed forced to Rachel.

"Because…it's Chandler," Rachel said quietly. Monica again shrugged at that, playing with the edge of a piece of paper that was sitting on the counter. "Okay," Rachel started, "I don't know-or want to know-what, if anything, has ever happened between you two, or what feelings have gone what ways at any point in time, but I don't want to not acknowledge that us, me and him…might be a little weird for you. I don't want to gloss over all of that and have you end up mad at one or both of us," Rachel paused. "Okay, now this is the part where you talk…"

Monica looked up, laughing at that. "You guys just…really caught me off guard, that's all," she finally started. "I won't lie and say that..." Monica trailed off, trying to find the right wording, "we haven't had our…moments. I just, I'm having a really hard time wrapping my head around this. How did this happen? Was he who you were with last night? How did Phoebe know?"

Rachel laughed at that, shaking her head. "I have no idea…it just kind of…happened," Rachel shrugged. "You know how I went to that work party with him Friday? And Phoebe was there when I got back, and I couldn't not spill," Rachel again shrugged, unable to contain her smile.

Monica smiled at her friend's happiness. "Okay, but, I do need details. Because I'm not going to lie and say I've never wondered what it would be like to date Chandler..."

Rachel laughed, pulling one of the barstools up to the counter. "Well, it started Friday when we went shopping with Julie…."

~.~

"Dude," Joey opened the door to the girls' apartment, finding Chandler getting himself a glass of water.

"What," Chandler shrugged.

"Rachel?" Joey raised his eyebrows, and Chandler nodded, smiling. "First of all, does Ross know about this?"

Chandler nodded. "Yea, and he's okay with it."

"Okay," Joey walked over to him, slapping him on the back. "Du-ude, Rachel?" Chandler just laughed. "So, have you slept with her yet?"

"Dude," Chandler looked at him, and Joey held up his hands, as if to say he was backing off.

"So, wanna order some pizza? I'm starving," Joey sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"We were actually about to order pizza," Chandler sat down across from him. "Well, we were about to do something else, but after that, we were about to order pizza," he looked up at Joey, who grinned at getting a slight detail out of Chandler.

"You haven't slept with her yet, have you?" Chandler shook his head. "Nervous?"

"Terrified. It's Rachel."

"Want some pointers?"

Chandler shook his head. "Never not wanted something more in my life."

"Should we get pepperoni?"

"What?" Chandler looked at him in confusion.

"Pizza. Should we get pepperoni on the pizza?" Joey looked at him, as if that should have been obvious.

Chandler laughed. "I honestly don't know if you have a two-track mind of food and sex, or if it's just one-track consisting of both food and sex…."

Joey grinned. "Definitely the second one."

"Should we go see what kind of pizza the girls want?" Chandler asked, standing up just as the door opened, and Ross walked in, followed shortly by Julie, and the girls, who she had gotten from Joey and Chandler's.

"I'm really confused by you two here," Ross pointed at Joey and Chandler in the kitchen. "And Rachel and Monica over there," he pointed towards the guys' apartment.

"We're about to order pizza," Joey explained. "And I think Monica walked in on Rachel and Chandler about to do something else, if you know what I mean," he raised his eyebrows, getting smacked on the arm by Julie, who was the closest girl to him.

"Anyway," Ross ignored Joey's comment. "Julie and I have an announcement to make," Ross started as everyone followed them into the living room.

"Oooh, are you going to have another kid?" Joey asked, looking at Ross.

"No," Ross shook his head.

"Are you getting married again?"

Ross again shook his head as Julie moved by his side.

"We're moving in together!" she said before Joey had the chance to ask another question.

"You guys, that's great!" Monica was the first to congratulate them, hugging her brother first before moving over to Julie.

"Congrat's, man," Chandler patted him on the back, though he had known the news was coming.

"I'm here!" Phoebe burst through the front door, juggling four bottles of champagne in her arms. "Who's pregnant or who's getting married? Julie's message said to bring some champagne because we're celebrating!"

"None of the above, Phoebs," Ross answered her as Chandler and Rachel, who were closest to the door, grabbed the bottles from her arms before she dropped them.

"How many of us did you think there were?" Chandler looked at Phoebe, and then at the four bottles, and then around the room. Phoebe shrugged.

"Okay," Ross clapped his hands. "Phoebe, Julie and I are moving in together!"

"Aw, yay for you guys!" Phoebe hugged Ross before moving over to hug Julie. "Julie, I'm so glad we have you now. After the guys outnumbering Monica and I for so long, it's nice that we finally outnumber them."

Julie laughed at that. "Thanks, I think."

Phoebe nodded. "It was a compliment."

"Okay, so should we all get to drinking? Those four bottles of champagne aren't going to drink themselves!" Chandler looked at the bottles on the table.

"Okay, what is with you and the four bottles?" Phoebe turned back towards him. "If someone told you to bring some champagne to celebrate, how many bottles would you bring?"

"One," Chandler looked at her blankly.

"Really? Just one?" Phoebe challenged back. "What a party pooper."

"Okay, champagne," Monica changed the subject, going to the cabinet for glasses. "Believe it or not, I don't own any champagne flutes, so, wine glasses," she started setting them on the counter, Julie heading over to help.

"Hey, can we pop all four corks at the same time and see which one goes the furthest?" Joey moved closer to the table. "Chandler did you ever order that pizza?"

"No, to the second, and I might be more on-board with needing four bottles of champagne if we can use them for the first…" he replied, everyone looking to Monica for permission since it was her apartment. She struggled inwardly with it for a moment before replying.

"Only if it's outside. And only if I get one of the bottles," she finally responded.

"Yea, baby!" Joey celebrated, grabbing a couple of bottles and heading for the balcony, Monica grabbing the other two and the others following close behind, Rachel and Chandler hanging back.

"Not quite the quiet night we had planned," Chandler said as Rachel stood in front of him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he encircled her in his.

"No, but I'll take it," Rachel replied as Chandler leaned down to kiss her.

"Chandler, come on!" Joey yelled through the window. "We're saving a bottle for you!" he held up the bottle in one of his hands, Ross and Monica each with the other two. "C'mon," he motioned for them to come outside.

"So, this is what date seventeen gets us," Chandler laughed, walking towards the balcony, Rachel following close behind, hand in his.

"I'm afraid so," Rachel laughed.

Chandler just nodded. "I'll take it."

~.~

Though it was Sunday night, since all four bottles of champagne had been opened, and it was somehow decided that all four needed to be drank, and it had turned into five other people joining in on what was supposed to be Rachel and Chandler's pizza and a movie. Instead, they had all argued about what kind of pizza to get, and then what movie to watch, finally settling on _When Harry Met Sally_ (Phoebe's excitement over the girl majority had already paid off). Rachel sat on the end of the couch, cuddled up under a blanket beside Chandler, content to spend the night there with him, with or without five other people. Well, a lot of the night she would have preferred without, especially, when Chandler would slide his hand up her inner thigh under her skirt, and then she had reciprocated, running her hand up his leg and across his crotch, not stopping until she felt his jeans get tighter. And then he would play with the edge of her panties. And as soon as her breathing would quicken in anticipation, his hand would be back on her leg. She felt like a horny teenager, but, if this was like date number seventeen, there was usually sex involved before then. And the past two nights it had taken a lot of willpower on both of their parts for that not to happen. And the slight buzz from the champagne was giving her the courage to reciprocate what the champagne was giving Chandler the courage to do in the presence of five other people.

Slowly, the rest of the group did turn in. First Phoebe, then Monica, then Joey, and finally Ross and Julie, leaving Chandler and Rachel alone as the movie finished, four empty bottles and seven empty glasses on the coffee table (Monica must have been at least slightly drunk to have left the mess).

Seconds after the door closed, Rachel and Chandler were kissing, moving so that they were laying down on the couch, Chandler on top. Rachel ran her hands up his back beneath his shirt, gripping his shoulders and pulling him down closer, kissing him, over and over, unable to get him close enough, as his fingers pushed up her skirt so that he could pull her panties down, and she helped him by kicking them off the rest of the way. Rachel fumbled with the button and zipper on his jeans as he unclasped her bra and his hands cupper her breasts, fingertips running over her nipples as she decided four bottles of champagne was the perfect amount because she was the perfect amount of buzzed for this.

After pushing his jeans and boxers down around his ankles, Rachel wrapped her legs around his back, eliciting a slight moan from Chandler, who pushed into her. Rachel inhaled sharply, trying to gather a bit of coherence inside her head that was spinning from a mixture of alcohol and Chandler. He must have been even more drunk than she was, because they needed- What was he doing with his hips? Oh, god, what was he doing with his hips….

"Chandler," it came out a soft moaned whisper, but it had been enough.

"Shit, condoms?" Chandler finally asked quietly.

"Bedroom," Rachel replied, now moving with him.

"Keep doing that, and it's gonna be too late," he moaned, eyes closed. "Bedroom?"

"Bedroom," Rachel nodded, Chandler standing up, pulling her with him, wrapping the blanket around both of them as they moved, still kissing, towards her bedroom.

~.~

_I should have been studying for my lab exam tomorrow instead of writing this for the past hour and a half, so, please don't make me beg for reviews :)_


	8. The Three Little Words

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 7: The Three Little Words**

~.~

_Ha, apparently I'm still stuck on _Sometime Around Midnight,_ because I just accidentally typed that instead of _Beautifully_ up there for the title….._

_Thanks for the kind reviews and well-wishes! Our reception was an absolute blast…a perfect day of family and close friends, wine, love and dancing…Glad everyone convinced us to go through with it, after all. :) _

~.~

Rachel woke up slowly, the noise from the living room and kitchen pulling her, unwillingly, out of her sleep. She was so comfortable, so content, lying in a mess of blankets and Chandler, that she could have stayed that way and slept a few more hours. Craning her neck to glance at her alarm clock, she realized that she only had about three more minutes before it went off, anyway. She may not have to work today, but Chandler did, which meant she had a very small window left of this, lying with Chandler's arms wrapped around her just right, her body fitted against his under the covers….

"Morning," Chandler whispered, gathering from her movement that she was now awake.

"Morning," Rachel whispered, rolling over to face him. "You're awake?"

"Yea, not all of us sleep as late as you," he gave her a teasing grin.

"Hey, you said if I set my alarm for 8-"

"I know," Chandler interrupted her, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'd rather sleep in later with you and go to work hungry."

Rachel smiled slightly. "Well, now I feel guilty for being the reason you'll be hungry all morning."

"Don't be," Chandler mumbled as Rachel pressed her face against his bare chest, wrapping his arms around her, the moment rudely interrupted by Rachel's alarm clock suddenly going off. "I could probably hold my pee until I get to work if that buys me a few more minutes, too…."

Rachel rolled over, switching the alarm off, before rolling back towards Chandler. "I don't know if that's disgusting or sweet…."

Chandler laughed, propping himself up on an elbow, reaching forward to move a stray strand of hair behind Rachel's ear. "What?" he asked off her smile.

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing, it's just…I thought…I thought this might be kind of weird. You know, since it's you, and it's me. But..."

"It's not," Chandler finished for her, and Rachel nodded.

"It's not," she echoed in agreement. Chandler watched as she bit her bottom lip, looking down for only a moment before again meeting his eye.

"I need to go," he whispered, not making a move.

"Kay," Rachel whispered, inhaling sharply when he suddenly pulled her closer. She closed her eyes, letting his lips linger against hers, letting his body linger against hers, until she felt him pull away, frowning at the loss of body heat, the loss of his skin against skin. "Do you have to go?" she slightly pouted as Chandler pulled on his boxers and tshirt, simply grabbing the rest of his clothing to take home.

"Yea, I have a meeting this morning," he leaned down to kiss her once more. "Lunch?" Rachel nodded. "You going back to bed?" he asked, and Rachel again nodded. "Bye, Rach," he whispered, kissing her once more before standing up.

"Bye," Rachel replied with a shy smile, watching him as he walked out of her room, pausing at the door to look back with one more smile before leaving her to sleep for a couple more hours curled up in a bed that smelled like him

"Morning," Joey grinned suggestively as Chandler walked out of Rachel's room, holding most of his clothing, everyone else already sitting around eating breakfast. "Did-"

"Okay," Chandler interrupted him. "Take a second, think of all of the suggestive comments you're all about to make," he paused, heading towards the door, "and, that is why I'm getting ready and going straight to work," he left, closing the door behind him.

Joey shrugged. "Fair enough," he nodded, looking around the room at everyone else, who nodded in agreement, as well.

~.~

Rachel blew on her freshly-painted fingernails, cursing the ringing phone—didn't it know her nails were wet? She reached for it, careful not to smudge her nails, "Hello?"

"Hey, babe."

Rachel melted at just the sound of his voice and the small term of endearment, wet nails completely forgotten.

"Hey," Rachel replied softly.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"If I said painting my nails and watching soap operas, would you judge me?"

Chandler chuckled. "I just got out of a meeting where I said the word 'WENUS' at least ten times."

"We'll call it even," Rachel laughed.

"Still want to have lunch?"

"Mmm," Rachel pretended to mull that over.

Chandler chuckled at that. "Well, while you think that through, I'll be waiting at that diner around the corner-"

"With the neon-colored booths we can never remember the name of but Joey loves?"

"That's the one."

"See you in a little bit?"

"See you soon, Rach."

Rachel hung up the phone, grin still on her face, looking up as Phoebe walked in.

"Aw, were you just talking to Chandler?" she asked, sitting down on the couch beside Rachel, who nodded. "You are so smitten," Phoebe grinned at her, and Rachel only shrugged, heading to her room to get ready to go to lunch.

~.~

"So, by my calculations," Monica sat down beside Chandler at the coffeehouse a few weeks later, "you're almost half-way into being in your longest relationship ever."

"Well, not _ever_," Chandler defended himself.

"Longest _adult_ relationship?" Monica rephrased, and Chandler conceded with a shrug. "You're awfully tight-lipped about her…."

Chandler smiled, picking up his coffee cup from the table. Though the couple did spend a lot of time around their group of friends, and he sensed Rachel had shared some about their relationship with the girls, he hadn't said much. "Yea, well, I just-I don't want to screw it up. And I'm really good at that. And I really like her. And I just…I don't want to screw this up."

Monica smiled. "You've been together for almost a month. I think it's safe to say that she likes you, too," she nudged Chandler slightly, and he smiled.

"I know," he nodded.

"You guys are good together," Monica added, taking a drink of her own coffee.

"You think so?" Chandler asked, glad for the reassurance from Rachel's best friend and one of his oldest friends, though he was far from insecure about the relationship.

"I don't know that I've ever seen either of you happier, ever, so," Monica nodded. "Yea. I know so."

~.~

Chandler nearly jumped out of his seat as the door to his office suddenly burst open. It was lunchtime, and his receptionist had already gone to lunch, so he hadn't been expecting anyone to come in. It was Rachel, though, who appeared from behind it, carrying a tray from the coffeehouse, apron still around her waist, obviously quite disheveled.

"So, Central Perk delivers now?" Chandler quipped when Rachel stopped just inside his door, not offering an explanation.

"I quit," she finally said.

"Being my girlfriend? I can be less sarcastic if that makes you change your mind…."

"My job!" Rachel explained, ignoring him as she closed his office door, Chandler standing up. "I quit my job!" she set down the tray. "Oh, god, I quit my job…" she leaned back against his desk as he walked around it, stopping in front of her.

"Good for you," Chandler nodded.

"Good for me? Good for me? Chandler, I quit my job!" Rachel exclaimed, not taking a breath before going into the details. "I just, I couldn't take it anymore! I was getting chewed out by this lady about how I somehow messed up her order, and I just, I couldn't take it anymore! I told her I didn't care, and then I walked away, and I told Gunther that I didn't care and that I quit, and then I walked here. I walked all the way here. Without my coat. I'm a little cold," Rachel nodded, Chandler rubbing both of her arms with his hands. "Chandler, I quit my job! I don't have another job! Oh my god, I'm unemployed!"

"It'll be okay," Chandler reassured her, wrapping his arms around her.

"But my job barely paid my bills as it was…I can't not have a job!"

"You'll find one," Chandler stated matter-of-factly.

"If it was so easy to find a job, I wouldn't have been working there for the past year and a half," Rachel sighed.

"Oh, come on, you're being way too hard on yourself. You went to college. You just spent a year and a half getting great customer service experience. And quitting is the exact little boost you need to actually find another job you'll love! Or, at least not hate so much…"

Rachel bit her bottom lip, now close to tears. "You really think so?"

"C'mon, Rach, you're amazing. Look how far you've come in the past year and a half. You wanted a new life, you started a new life. If you want a fashion-y job or whatever, go get a fashion-y job."

Rachel took a deep breath in, blowing it out slowly, trying to keep the tears from falling. "Thanks, Chandler."

"Anytime," he kissed her temple.

"No, really, Chandler," Rachel repeated. "I don't think I've ever had anyone who has believed in me that much, not even my parents. Thank you."

Chandler smiled sheepishly. "Yea, well…"

"I think-I think I love you." Rachel regretted it before it was out of her mouth. Oh, god. Did she really just say that first? To Chandler? After barely a month?

"What?"

Rachel shook her head. "I take it back."

"You can't take it back!"

"I take it back!" Rachel shook her head, backing away from him. "It's too soon. I can't say that yet! That's crazy."

"Rach," Chandler laughed at her over-reaction, taking a step back towards her. "This freaking out thing," he motioned to her, "is kind of what I do. You're kinda stealing my thunder here…." Rachel laughed slightly at that, relaxing a bit. "Relax, we're okay. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay, let's start this conversation over."

Rachel smiled. "I quit my job!"

Chandler laughed, "Not that part of the conversation."

Rachel hesitated slightly. "Just the I love you part of the conversation?" Chandler nodded. Rachel took a deep breath. "I love you," she repeated, softer this time, staring into his eyes. "I love you," she repeated, firmer the second time.

Chandler smiled. "I love you, too."

"Really? You're not just saying that because I said it first?" Rachel asked, though she could tell from the fact that she could see his smile in his eyes and not just on his lips that he was not saying it just because she said it first.

"Rach, if I didn't feel that way, and you just said that to me, and it was too soon…you would probably just see a Chandler-shaped hole in that door," he motioned to the door, and Rachel laughed, accepting his arms around her, melting into his embrace, the kiss he had offered.

"Oh my god," Rachel pulled back. "I quit my job!"

Chandler nodded. "You quit your job. I'm impressed. And jealous."

"Quit your job, too, then," Rachel teased slightly, and Chandler laughed.

"Oh, if only I had the balls."

Rachel leaned into him, reaching for the aforementioned area. "You don't have the balls, huh?"

Chandler leaned into her, kissing her on the lips as she leaned back onto the edge of his desk. "Mmm, metaphorically."

"So, I can't help but notice that it's pretty empty out there right now," Rachel kissed him again, playing with his tie.

"Yea, that usually happens at lunch time," he kissed her again as she scooted further back onto his desk. "Rachel Green, what are you suggesting?"

Rachel sighed overdramatically. "I just quit my job and said I love you first. You're really going to make me spell it out for you?"

Chandler laughed, kissing her again. "You're cute when you're being balls-y."

"Ugh, shut up," Rachel grabbed his tie, pulling him forward by it as they kissed again, leaning back onto his desk.


	9. The Revelation

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 8: The Revelation**

~.~

_Thanks to my two always-loyal reviewers (Exintaris and friendsfan101), and my newest loyal reviewer, who has no name :) And, thank you to my readers…though, ya know, reviews never hurt anyone, but make us writers super happy. Just sayin'._

_Can you tell I was in a sweet and sappy mood when I wrote that last chapter? I had no intention of making it so mushy, but it kind of happened, and I was kind of okay with it. And figured you guys would be, as well._

_Also, um, just realized I said something about it being December when they went to Chandler's office party, but we're gonna go ahead and pretend it was November then, and December now, because I (obsessively? maybe?) have a thing with keeping with the timeline of the show. And keeping my timeline consistent. Though the writers of the show failed in that department…  
_

_Lines borrowed from the show aren't mine._

~.~

"Hey," Chandler nudged Joey, who was seated beside him in Phoebe's grandmother's cab. After going to her grandmother about her father (and discovering he was not the token guy in the picture frame she had always told Phoebe he was), Phoebe had decided to go meet her real father, and since she was taking the guys Christmas shopping (though Monica's head had almost exploded over the fact that it was Christmas Eve and they had yet to buy gifts), they had been the ones to go with her.

"Huh?" Joey responded, watching Phoebe. "I think she might actually make it this time!" he pointed to Phoebe, who was still on the sidewalk in front of her father's hose and had yet to make it any further.

Chandler shook his head. "She's turning around…."

"Oh, now she's turning back!"

"Joe."

"Huh?"

"What do I get Rachel for Christmas?"

Joey turned back towards him. "You haven't gotten Rachel anything for Christmas?"

"I said I hadn't done any Christmas shopping!"

"Not even for your girlfriend?"

"Okay, lecture, not helping," Chandler grumbled. "I am not good at shopping for girls," he paused, looking out the window at Phoebe, and then at the time. "And, at this rate, I'm not going to get her anything," he again paused. "Not that this," he motioned to Phoebe, "isn't more important."

"Get her something sentimental. Girls love that," Joey nodded. "Oh! Or-"

"If you say anything related to giving her some sort of coupon for something sexual, you are riding in the front seat on the way home," Chandler interrupted, and Joey remained silent.

"She's coming back," Joey pointed out.

Chandler shrugged. "Dad's are overrated, anyway."

"Not all dad's," Joey disagreed. "She at least deserves the right to decide that for herself."

Phoebe opened the cab door, climbing into the front seat.

"How far'd ya get?" Joey asked.

"Mailbox," Phoebe gripped the steering wheel, staring forward.

"Phoebs, what's going on?" Joey asked.

Phoebe shook her head. "It's just like, ya know, it's a whole mess of stuff, ya know. It's like, yesterday, ya know, my dad was this, like, famous Burma tree surgeon guy and, ya know, now he's a, a pharmacist guy and, maybe, you know, I'll knock on the door and, and he'll hug me and I'll have a dad. Ya know, and I'll, I'll go to his pharmacy and everyone will be really nice to me 'cause, you know, I'm Frank's daughter."

"Then why not go knock?" Chandler asked.

"Well, 'cause, I mean, what if, what if he's not this great dad guy? I mean, what if, what if he's just still the dirtbag who ran out on my mom and us?" Phoebe paused, shaking her head. "You know what? I've already lost a fake dad this week, and I don't think I'm ready to lose a real one."

"Phoebs, that's okay," Joey reassured her. "You took a big step today."

"Yea?"

"Yea," Chandler chimed in. "And, someday, when you're ready, you'll make it past the hedges."

"And when you do, he'll be lucky to have you," Joey added.

"Thanks, you guys," Phoebe smiled back at them. "And sorry about your shopping…"

"That's okay," Chandler shrugged. "We'll figure something out."

~.~

"Ho-ho-ho-" Chandler started off as they walked into the girls' apartment, where they had missed the entire party while they were with Phoebe, greeted by a wave of intense heat, "-holy crap is it hot in here!" he finished.

"Really, mind if I turn the heat down?" Joey asked, heading towards the radiator.

"It's broken, but be my guest," Monica motioned towards it.

"Hey, where's Rachel?" Chandler asked, not seeing her, and wanting to apologize up-front for the lack of present.

"She's over at your place laying down," Monica replied.

"Yea, I think that the fact that it's about 110 degrees in here made her sick," Julie added.

"Well, her and all of the guests," Ross motioned to the empty apartment.

"Shut up," Monica smacked him lightly in the back of the head.

Chandler nodded, walking to the door. "Hey, uh, why didn't you guys just move the party over there?" he asked, grinning slightly as he opened the door, the cooler air from the hallway a welcome relief from the intensely hot room. Monica glared at him in return. "Just a thought," he shrugged, heading across the hall before she could throw the dishtowel at him that was currently in her hands.

Chandler crossed his dark apartment to his bedroom, opening the door slowly, in case Rachel was sleeping. He moved over to the bed, lying down beside her sleeping figure.

"Hey," he whispered, placing a hand on her side and kissing the back of her head, Rachel rolling towards him as he did.

"Hey," she replied, curling up in his arms.

"You okay?"

Rachel shook her head. "Been better. It's better over here away form the sauna, though."

Chandler chuckled slightly at that.

"Oh, hey, how did it go with Phoebe and her dad?"

"It didn't, so much. She never even made it to the door…."

"Poor Phoebs," Rachel replied, burying her face in Chandler's shirt. He again kissed the top of her head.

"Hey, um, I didn't get you a present."

"What?" she looked up.

"We never made it shopping," Chandler explained, "so I didn't get you, or anyone else, a present…."

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry," he continued on.

"It's okay," Rachel reassured him, though he could tell from her voice that she was disappointed.

"No, no, it's not," Chandler continued. "But, on the way home, I was thinking that, if you wanted…maybe, instead, next week sometime, or something, we could just go to the Woodbury Outlets and go shopping for the day?"

Rachel nodded slowly, smiling as she pulled back. "Best boyfriend ever."

"Really?" Chandler asked, unsure of his plan.

"Really," Rachel nodded. "I…may have a terrible habit of returning gifts for store credit. Like, all gifts. Including from my parents. I'm a terrible gift receiver," Rachel admitted slowly.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm such a terrible gift giver, then," Chandler grinned. "We work well together."

Rachel laughed. "You're not a terrible gift giver. You're just a guy." Chandler shrugged.

"You're not mad?" Chandler asked slowly, still unsure.

Rachel laughed. "Okay, having the shopping trip plan was you not being unprepared, and I'm pretty sure counts as a gift. And shows you know me. So, no, I'm not mad," she smiled. "I would kiss you, but I just spent the better part of tonight throwing up, and I haven't gone back home to brush my teeth yet."

Chandler nodded. "Yea, I'll pass on the kiss."

"I think I'm going to go home and brush my teeth and change," Rachel sat up. "I actually feel a lot better than I did earlier."

"I'll come with you," Chandler followed her as she stood up, heading for the door. "You know, make sure Phoebe's okay."

Rachel stopped, turning back to face him with a smile.

"What?" Chandler asked.

"Nothing," Rachel shook her head. "I just-you're wonderful, you know that?"

Chandler shrugged modestly. "Well, I try not to tell myself that too often, or else my head gets too big…"

Rachel smiled. "Chandler, seriously. You are."

He smiled warmly at her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Thanks, Rach."

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Chandler loosened his arms. "Now, go brush your teeth so I can kiss you."

Rachel laughed, turning back towards the door, Chandler's fingers laced through her own.

"Hey," she opened the door, her apartment already noticeably cooler. "The heat's fixed!"

"Yea, the knob was broken, so I turned it off completely from underneath," Joey explained, sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of food from the party, Phoebe, Monica, Ross and Julie sitting in the living room.

"Huh, you'd think Treeger would have at least known to do that," Rachel shrugged, heading towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. She closed the door behind her, drowning out the voices of everyone else as she opened the medicine cabinet, grabbing her toothbrush, before opening the top drawer to grab her toothpaste. She stopped, though, one hand on the faucet, at the sight of a box of tampons. Monica couldn't have her period yet; Rachel always got hers a few days earlier. Rachel closed her eyes, counting the weeks backwards in her head. She had been with Chandler for seven weeks, and she had had her period the week of Thanksgiving. No. No, she hadn't. Oh, god, she hadn't. Which meant that being three days late was actually four weeks and three days late.

Oh, god.

Rachel dropped her toothbrush, an entirely different wave of nausea rushing over her as she tried not to hyperventilate.

Oh, god.

She needed to sit. No, actually, she needed to get out of the confining space of the tiny bathroom, away form everyone in the apartment.

Oh, god. She couldn't be…oh, she couldn't even think the word.

Everyone in the living room looked up as Rachel rushed out of the bathroom and back out the door, slamming it shut behind her. Everyone then turned to Chandler, who shrugged.

"Maybe she felt sick again? It's still pretty hot in here," Julie suggested.

"Or, she's just mad that Chandler didn't buy her a present."

"You didn't buy her a present?" Monica looked at him in shock.

Chandler shrugged. "She was actually surprisingly okay with it. I'm gonna go make sure she's okay," he stood up, heading out the door and back into his apartment, relieved that she was again lying on his bed, though this time her head was covered with a pillow. "Rach?" he tried softly, sitting on the bed beside her. "Rach, you're kinda freaking me out," he touched her back, feeling the silent sobs that were shaking her body. "Babe, what's wrong?" he asked, laying down beside her.

Rachel took a deep breath, only slightly coming out from under the pillow. "Monica has her period."

Chandler paused, even more confused by that. "I guess that's a little upsetting…"

Rachel took another shaky breath. "I always get mine three days before her."

"Oh," Chandler replied, beginning to understand. "Well, if it's only three days-"

"I didn't-I didn't…get mine…last month," Rachel choked out. "I was trying to go back, and-and count from my last one, and I realized that I didn't get it last month, either," she tried to catch her breath, coming out from under the pillow, eyes red, hair matted to her cheeks with tears.

"Shit," was all Chandler could think of to say, and Rachel nodded her head, again burying her face in his pillow. "Rach," he placed his hand on her back, realizing that reaction probably hadn't helped anything.

"No," Rachel shook her head, "'Shit' about sums it up. I don't have a job right now. I don't have health insurance. I don't-I can't…I can't…"

Chandler pulled her into his arms, closing his own eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady instead of hyperventilating like she was. Rachel buried her face in his chest, tears staining the front of his shirt as silent sobs continued to shake her body. He ran his hand slowly up and down her back, unsure that he could force out anything coherently at the moment.

"Should, uh, should you take a test, you know, before we freak out too much?" Chandler finally offered softly, once her sobs had subsided.

Rachel shrugged. "Probably..."

"Want me-want me to go get one right now?" Chandler asked slowly, to which Rachel silently nodded. "Kay," he whispered, trying to remain as calm as he was trying to seem. "Okay," he repeated, kissing her forehead before pulling back. "I'll-I'll be right back, okay?"

Rachel rolled back over to the pillow, again burying her face in it, nodding slightly in response.

Chandler stood up slowly, taking a couple of deep breaths before grabbing his coat and heading downstairs and around the corner to the nearest 24-hour convenience store (and then heading to three more before finding one open that late of Christmas Eve), before heading back to his apartment. He took a deep breath as he opened the door, finding Rachel still in his bed, though she at least looked up when he entered the room. Neither of them even tried to force a smile as she wordlessly stood up, walking over to him and taking the bag before heading into the bathroom, Chandler locking the door before pacing around the living room and kitchen, unable to absorb any of what was happening.

Chandler finally looked up as Rachel opened the door. She offered a slight joke of, "I can't pee under pressure," to explain what had taken so long, to which they both smiled slightly. "Three minutes," she whispered, walking over to the kitchen counter, setting the test down, and setting the timer that was sitting on top of the stove for three minutes.

Chandler walked over to her, leaning beside where she was leaning on the counter, afraid that if he said anything, he might cry. He took her hand, and she squeezed it, remaining silent, as well.

He was not ready to have a baby. A father. He was not ready to be anyone's father. He couldn't quite breathe at that thought, so he moved on to the fact that things were going so well with him and Rachel, but it was so new….

They weren't ready for this, individually or as a couple.

_Ding!_

They both looked at each other as the timer went off.

Rachel closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I can't look."

Chandler took a deep breath, turning around. He closed his eyes, willing himself to look at it: a pink plus sign. Not much more of an explanation was needed.

Rachel turned to look at Chandler and could tell from the look on his face what the results were. Instead of saying anything, she moved quickly back to his bedroom, Chandler following as soon as he could remind his legs of how to walk.

"Rach?" he asked quietly, again laying down beside her, and he could even hear the tears in his own voice.

"I don't even have a job right now," Rachel repeated what she had said earlier, meeting his tear-filled eyes with her own. "I don't have a job, and I don't have any money, and I don't have insurance," she sniffled. "I mean, there's also the not being ready for this thing, but I just keep thinking the first three things over and over," she shook her head, wiping her tears.

Chandler pulled her closer, hugging her tightly. His only thought had been that he wasn't ready for a baby and that it wasn't fair that their new relationship had to deal with this already. He hadn't been thinking about any of those things because he had a good job, and he had a decent amount in savings, and he had great health insurance... "Marry me," he whispered, though he wasn't even sure where it had come from, and his voice sounded foreign, even to himself.

"What?" Rachel pulled slightly away from him. "Was that a suggestion, or was that you asking?"

"Suggestion?" Chandler said meekly. "Asking?" he changed his mind when she didn't seem satisfied with that. "I don't-I don't know," he finally admitted. "I just-I have a job. I have health insurance. You could-if you married me, you could, too," he explained quietly, and Rachel's only response was to, again, bury her face in his chest, not giving the idea a yes or a no.

Chandler closed his eyes. He was so overwhelmed with everything, he wasn't even to the point of freaking out yet. Well, he was freaking out, but not as much as he felt like he should have been (or would be) once it all set in. He was even past the point of crying, which it seemed Rachel was, too, since her sniffling had come to a stop, leaving them in defeaning silence.

Shifting slightly on the bed, the clock caught Chandler's eye: 12:04.

He laughed ironically. "Merry Christmas to us," he whispered sarcastically, at which Rachel's arms tightened around him, and he hugged her back. Chandler squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for the relief even a few short hours of sleep could possibly bring before morning.

~.~

_Um, yea…I realize the pregnancy thing has been SO DONE to death. But, well, I wanted to do the pregnancy thing with Rachel and Chandler before they were as grown up as they were by the end of the series (since they both do a lot of growing up, more so than all of the other characters), and they both have babies by the end, and the Rachel-unplanned-pregnancy thing actually happens in the series, so…yea. There's my explanation/rationalization. _

_Reviews, please, if I haven't scared everyone off ;) _


	10. The Next Morning

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 9: The Next Morning**

~.~

_Thanks to TGMTG, Lisztian_Dragon, and bobbiejod for joining my three loyal reviewers :)_

_This chapter is shorter, but I want to keep updating as I write so I don't lose momentum!_

~.~

Rachel woke up, a slight pounding in her head, as is usually the case from a crying-hangover, and slightly confused as to why she and Chandler were fully dressed, on top of the covers on his bed. The past day hit her fully, though, as she sat up, looking at the clock that read half-past 9, and trying to decide if she should get up and face the day yet. Instead, she lay back down, staring at Chandler's face as he slept.

She could deal with this without crying today. She would deal with this without crying today.

A week earlier, she had sent out resumes and filled out countless applications (whether or not she felt qualified, on Chandler's advice, since it never hurt to take a chance on something), and Wednesday, after the long holiday weekend, she would follow up with every single place she had not heard back from. And she would get a job, with benefits, even if it meant filling out 100 more applications by the end of the week.

And it would be okay. It was morning, and everything was a little more okay than the night before. She had no reason to have any doubt in Chandler. They had wonderful, supportive friends (and families who would surely be supportive in their own ways), and it would all be okay. People far less qualified to have children than the two of them somehow did so every day.

Scooting closer, Rachel folded herself into Chandler's sleeping embrace, and he stirred as she did.

"Sorry," Rachel whispered, having not meant to wake him.

"S'okay," Chandler replied, pulling her closer, sleep still clinging. "Have you been awake long?" he asked after a moment, eyes still closed.

"No," Rachel shook her head.

Chandler shifted, stretching out on the bed as Rachel rolled over to face him. "You okay?"

"More okay than last night," Rachel replied honestly, hugging the pillow beneath her head.

"Good," Chandler whispered, eyes locked with hers.

Rachel took a deep breath. "I can't marry you right now," she finally said softly. "I love you, but I just-I almost got married once, for all of the wrong reasons, and if I marry you…I really want it to be for all of the right reasons," she explained, still softly, and Chandler nodded.

"Okay," he whispered in reply, reaching out for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "You know I'm here, though," he continued softly. "I mean, I'm probably worse at all of this than you are—I mean, a few months ago, Joey and I left Ben on a bus—but, I'm not-I'm not going anywhere. And if you need anything…_anything_…I'm here."

Rachel nodded, knowing that at least part of the subtext there was that if she needed help with money until she found a job, but that he knew she was too proud to even mention that to her unless it was completely necessary.

"We should probably get up. Joey has probably been up for hours waiting to open presents before he goes over to his parent's," Rachel finally said, and Chandler nodded in agreement, letting go as she moved to get out of bed.

"Hey, um, when are we going to tell all of them?" Chandler asked slowly, getting up, as well.

Rachel shrugged. "Just not yet?"

Chandler nodded in agreement, following her over to the door.

"We're gonna be okay, right?" Rachel paused in front of the door, turning back towards Chandler.

Chandler nodded, squeezing her hand and kissing her softly on the lips. "We're gonna be okay."

When they opened the door, though, the plan of not telling the others yet hit a flaw. Phoebe and Joey were standing by the kitchen counter, Joey's arms folded across his chest, Phoebe's hands over her mouth, staring at the pregnancy test they had left on the counter.

The two looked up as Rachel and Chandler stopped in the bedroom doorway, Phoebe dropping her hands to reveal a grin.

"Oh my gosh, are you guys having a baby!" she exclaimed, and Chandler and Rachel looked at each other, as if to say there was no use in lying, before Rachel nodded, Phoebe running over to congratulate them. "Oh my god, you guys, congratulations," she first hugged Rachel, then Chandler. "I mean, it's probably not what you guys were expecting right now, but, really, when is ever a good time to have a baby? Oh, but you're both such great people, so I'm sure you'll be great parents," Phoebe looked from Chandler back to Rachel. "Plus, ya know, you're both very pretty, so you'll probably make a very pretty baby."

"Thanks, Phoebs," Chandler laughed slightly at that.

Rachel nodded. "Thank you," she echoed. "I think we needed to hear that right now."

"Dude, you're gonna have a baby?" Joey looked at Chandler, still in shock.

Chandler shrugged. "Apparently."

"Du-ude!" Joey rushed across the apartment to hug him. "Aw, I'm gonna be an Uncle Joey!" He squeezed Chandler tightly before moving on to congratulate Rachel, the apartment door opening as he did so.

"Hey, do you guys have any-" Monica started, about to open the refrigerator, but stopped at the scene in the living room.

"They're having a baby!" Joey exclaimed, motioning back and forth between Chandler and Rachel.

"What?"

"They're having a baby!" Phoebe echoed, jumping up and down.

"Seriously?" Monica walked towards them, looking to Rachel for confirmation. Rachel nodded slowly, so Monica hugged her. "You okay?" she asked quietly, taking a subtler approach than Phoebe and Joey, and deciding to talk to Rachel again later when no one else was around.

Rachel nodded, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "Getting there…."

"Congratulations, then," Monica smiled at her before hugging her again, then moving over to Chandler, who smiled at her slightly before she hugged him. "How you holding up?" Chandler only nodded in response to that, not sure he could currently come up with a response. "Congrats," she added softly as she pulled away, and Chandler mouthed 'thank you.'

"Hey, let's go eat. Ross and Julie should be here any minute," Monica motioned for Phoebe and Joey to follow, leaving Chandler and Rachel alone.

They both remained silent for a moment, Rachel running her fingers through her hair, pulling it back into a tight ponytail and then releasing it as she also blew out the breath she had been holding. "We'll be okay."

Chandler nodded, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We'll be okay."

Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug, burying her face in his chest. "We're having a baby," she said quietly, the first time either of them had actually said those words.

"Yea," Chandler squeezed her tightly in return, kissing her hair. "We're gonna have a baby…."


	11. The Announcements

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 10: The Announcements**

~.~

_I want to write a book. I mean, it's been on my Life List since I was about 7, and I have one kind of started that I've been playing around with for a couple of years now, but…every time I watch a good movie or read a good book, I think, _man, I want to write a book_. So, I think I'm going to. I can do it, right?_

_Thanks for the reviews! As promised, here's another quick update!_

~.~

Monica glanced out onto the balcony as she crossed her dark apartment on the way to the bathroom, able to see only the top of Chandler's head through the window. She frowned at that, grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapping herself in it as she headed over to the window to check on him. Even after she crawled out onto the balcony through the window, he was seemingly unaware of her presence, crouched down against the wall, face in his hands, cigarette between his fingers. Monica smiled, not because it made her happy that he was in such distress, but because she had been wondering all day when it would happen.

"Hey," she finally said quietly, making her presence known, and Chandler glanced up, dropping his hands from his face.

"Hey," Chandler replied, taking a quick drag of his cigarette. "You gonna yell at me for smoking?" he asked as she moved beside him, crouching down, as well. Monica shook her head. "Good, 'cause it wouldn't be worth it. I found these in the bottom of a drawer, and they're so stale, I might puke if I finish just this one."

Monica laughed, sliding down completely onto the cold ground, pulling the blanket tighter around her arms. "You okay?" Chandler shook his head from side to side, taking another drag of the cigarette, making a face as he did so. "Hey, you know who took it really well, at least? Ross," Monica pointed out.

"Why wouldn't Ross take it well?"

"Chandler."

"Rachel told you about Ross, huh?"

"It's a surprise to you that Rachel tells me things?" Monica laughed.

Chandler again shook his head. "Just never thought of it, I guess. I have too many other worries right now," he took another drag of his cigarette before smashing it out on the concrete.

"Like what?" Monica probed, and Chandler gave her a look. "Okay, I can guess the answer to that, but you could also tell me…you know, talk about it…."

Chandler sighed, moving from his crouching position to sitting beside her. "Everything," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I can't have a kid. I can't be someone's father," he shook his head. "I hardly ever had a father. Hell, I hardly ever had parents. I don't know the first thing about babies…I left Ben on a bus! Who the hell leaves a baby on a bus?" he continued, still staring at the wall. "And Rachel and I…we're so good right now. I didn't want to jinx it by saying that thought out loud, but we're doing so well, and things just work, and that's not something that usually happens for me, and I'm scared to death of what this is going to do to us…" he trailed off, staring at the ground, rubbing his arms since he was only wearing a long-sleeve tshirt.

"Chandler," Monica reached out to touch his arm reassuringly.

Chandler shook his head. "I just-what if I screw up a kid as badly as my parents screwed up me?"

"Chandler," Monica shook her head. "You're not as screwed up as you think you are."

"Yea, tell that to the therapist my mom sent me to for about ten years," he quipped quickly, shivering in the cold, so Monica moved closer, offering him part of her blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders. "Thanks," he whispered. "I just don't know how the hell I'm going to do this…."

"Well," Monica started slowly, "for starters, you could tell Rachel all of that…."

Chandler shook his head. "I can't freak her out more than she's already freaked out…"

Monica nodded. "I think you need to tell her all of that, though."

Chandler nodded. "I know. I just wanted to be okay with all of this and be strong for her."

Monica smiled. "Just because you tell her how you're feeling doesn't mean you're not being strong." Chandler sighed. "As for how to get through it…just take it step by step. Right now, go inside and go back to bed with Rachel. In the morning, talk to her. And then just…take it day by day. If you get freaked out about something, be freaked out, just…talk about it. I would guess that every parent in the history of the world has been freaked out and felt unprepared about having a baby…."

"Yea?" Chandler asked, and Monica nodded. "Thanks, Mon," he patted her knee, giving her a slight smile.

"Anytime," Monica returned the smile. "Now, if you're okay out here, I'm going to go back inside and pee, because that's the reason I got up, and the whole being cold out here thing isn't helping."

Chandler laughed. "Yea, I'm fine. I'll be right in."

Monica nodded, leaving the blanket for him as she stood up. "If you need anything…."

Chandler nodded. "I know. Thanks, Mon."

Chandler stared at the window for a few minutes after she was gone, finally standing up and going inside, heading towards Rachel's room. He stripped down to his boxers before crawling into bed with her, hoping he didn't smell too much like smoke.

"Hey," Rachel mumbled as he cuddled up beside her. "You're all cold," she paused. "And smell like smoke."

Chandler laughed. "Mad? I can go shower…."

Rachel shook her head. "Not mad. I was kinda waiting for it to happen," she rolled over to face him. "You okay?'

Chandler smiled. "I kind of talked it out with Monica, and, you know what, I think I am."

Rachel smiled. "Good. Wanna talk about it?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"In the morning. Go back to sleep," he leaned in, kissing her.

Rachel shook her head, pulling away from the kiss. "Nope, it's like licking an ashtray."

Chandler laughed. "I'm gonna go shower and come back. Night, Rach," he kissed her on the forehead. "Love you."

Rachel rolled back over, already almost back to sleep. "Love you, too."

~.~

"Rachel, you are going to love me!" Julie sat down beside Rachel at Central Perk later that week, where she was currently filling out a stack of job applications. "So, you know how I had that friend who used to work at Bloomingdale's?" she asked, and Rachel nodded. "Well, he still has some connections there, and I was telling him about you, and he said he would talk to his old manager, and if you wanted, you basically already have an interview lined up to be a personal shopper!"

"Oh my god, are you serious?" Rachel asked, tears in her eyes, and Julie nodded. "Oh, I don't know why I'm crying," she wiped at her eyes. "Probably the whole being pregnant thing."

Julie smiled. "Okay, well, I will actually just give you his information, and he can give you the details," she handed Rachel his business card.

"Thank you so much," Rachel leaned in, hugging Julie. "I'm going to go call him right now," she stood up, walking over to where Gunther was standing at the counter, positive he would still let her use the phone.

~.~

"Guess who is now officially a Personal Shopper at Bloomingdale's?" Rachel exclaimed as she came into her apartment, everyone else already there.

"You got the job!" Julie was the first to respond, though Chandler was already out of his seat and had gone over to hug her.

"Congrats," he hugged her, picking her up off the ground. "I knew you would get a job you wanted," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely, since he had been the voice in the back of her head that had given her the boost she needed to quit her job at the coffeehouse.

"Congratulations!" everyone else came into the kitchen to congratulate her, as well, so Chandler moved away, giving her one last smile, before letting everyone else hug her, too.

~.~

"I look fat," Rachel looked at herself in the mirror, studying the fourth outfit she had tried on, trying to get dressed for work, before peeling her shirt off, moving back over to the closet.

"No, you don't," Chandler reassured her, watching the growing mound of clothes on the floor.

"I wish I would just start to look pregnant so I could stop just being all bloat-y," she sighed, pulling on another, looser-fitting shirt. "I can't look pregnant if my mom's coming to visit tomorrow, though," she sighed, sitting down on the bed.

"Why is she coming?"

Rachel shrugged. "Beats me. But I'm glad she asked to come, so she doesn't wonder why I all of a sudden am the one to ask her to."

"Nervous to tell her?"

"Not as nervous as I am to tell my dad," Rachel sighed.

"Any chance we could just not tell them or see them for the next six-and-a-half or so months, and then just show up with a cute baby to deflect any negative feelings they might have for the situation?"

Rachel laughed at that. "Well, as appealing as that sounds…."

"Ready to kick some ass on your first day?' he asked, standing up and pulling her with him.

"Ready to kick ass and take names," she nodded, following him towards the door.

~.~

"Well, Chandler's a very nice young man," Rachel's mother pointed out as she and Rachel walked into Rachel's apartment after having lunch with him.

"Yea, I like him," Rachel smiled, letting her mother in.

"Your apartment is just so adorable!" Sandra gushed. "And your job just sounds like so much fun… You know, I never lived on my own or made my own money. I went straight from my father's house, to the sorority house, to my husband's house," she looked around Rachel's apartment. "This is some life you have here, sweetie."

"I know. And Mom, I realize you and Daddy were upset when I didn't marry Barry and get the big hose in the suburbs with all of the security and everything, but…this is just so much better for me, you know?"

"I do," she nodded. "You didn't love Barry, and when I see you with Chandler," she paused, shaking her head. "I've just never seen you this happy! I look at you, and I think, oh, this is what I want!"

"For…me."

"Well, not just for you."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Sweetie, I'm, um, I'm leaving your father."

"You're…you're what?" Rachel looked at her in shock at the sudden announcement.

"I mean, I haven't told him yet, but-"

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Rachel shook her head, running from the kitchen into the bathroom. Sandra walked over to the living room, leaning against the back of the couch for her to come out. When Rachel did, she shook her head as she walked out, her mother walking towards her.

"Rach-"

"No, Mom, I cannot have this conversation with you," Rachel shook her head, going back towards the kitchen. "I mean, god, you just come here and drop this bomb on me, before you even tell Daddy. What do you want? Do you want my blessing?"

"No."

"You want me to talk you out of it?" Rachel asked in frustration, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"No…"

"Then, what? What do you want?'

"I just figured, of all people, you would understand this."

"Why on earth would I understand this?"

Her mother smiled at her, walking over to where she was standing. "You didn't marry your Barry, sweetie. But I did."

Rachel's face fell, suddenly understanding. "Oh," she said quietly, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, honey, don't cry," Sandra walked over to her, hugging her.

"I'm sorry," Rachel choked out, moving away from her to sit down in one of the kitchen chairs. "It's just, once you're an adult, you don't expect your parents to get divorced. And-and, you never think that they-they might not have been as happy as you thought they were…"

"Oh, sweetie, I didn't know you were going to get this upset about it," she moved over to where Rachel sat down, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Rachel shook her head, wiping her eyes. "I don't-it's not just that," she took a deep breath, about to say the one thing she had been unable to get out at lunch. "Mom, I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, Sandra laughing slightly.

"Oh, sweetie, you're just all hormonal!"

"You're telling me," Rachel grumbled.

"Oh, Rachel!" Sandra gushed, hugging her, though she was still sitting down. "That's so wonderful!"

"You're not mad?" Rachel asked timidly.

"Why would I be mad?" Sandra took a seat beside her.

"I left my fiancé at the altar as all of your friends watched, and now I'm pregnant and not even married. What will everyone at the country club think?" Rachel asked caustically.

"Oh, honey, I don't care what any of them think," she reassured her. "All I care about is that you're happy. And you obviously are! And a baby is never anything but a blessing," she again hugged Rachel. "I'm going to be a grandma!"

Rachel laughed. "Yea, you are."

"Oh, why did you let Chandler go back to work before you told me this? I want to congratulate him, too!"

"Well, I was going to tell you at lunch, but," Rachel shrugged.

"Oh, if you had, I wouldn't have dropped all of this nonsense about your father on you right now, either."

"Mom," Rachel shook her head. "It's not nonsense," she reassured her. "And I do-I do want you to be happy. Because it's all very worth it."

Sandra smiled. "Thank you, sweetheart," she kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I'm very proud of you, you know. Your father and I both are. You've just always had this drive that Amy and Jill never did quite have," she smiled at her. "And don't let what anyone else says or how your father reacts let you feel any differently. We're very proud of you, Rachel."

Rachel smiled, tears again in her eyes. "Thanks, Mom," she responded, hugging her again. "That means a lot."


	12. The First Trimester

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 11: The First Trimester**

~.~

_I'm trying to wrap this story up before I start classes full-time this fall. I have 4 years of Occupational Therapy School ahead of me, and I have a feeling that taking a step back from writing here might be necessary, at least at times. I've always taken the easy road with school (because I'm terrified of failure, not because I'm not capable), and I know I have some challenging classes, practicums, and internships ahead of me, as well as work and life. I will never stop writing, because I define myself equally as a runner and writer above all else, but…_

_As sad as it makes me, I feel like it's probably coming, and probably for the best. If it makes anyone feel any better, I don't believe in unfinished fics, at least ;)_

~.~

Rachel sighed, rolling over in bed, unable to get to sleep. They were telling her father tomorrow, and she had never been more terrified of anything in her life, not even of being pregnant. Actually, she was starting to be okay with having a baby. Maybe even a little excited. Still terrified, but slightly excited. Chandler, even, seemed to be on that same page—terrified, yet excited.

They had gone in for her first doctor's appointment earlier that week, and though they had both arrived terrified, Rachel with a notebook full of questions in hand, when they left…they both seemed to be slightly more at peace with everything.

Telling her father was a completely different story, though.

Rachel rolled over, snuggling up against Chandler, who moved his arm around her in his sleep, pulling her closer. Closing her eyes, Rachel took a deep breath.

It would all be okay.

~.~

Rachel and Chandler sat at a table at one of her father's favorite restaurants, waiting for him to arrive. Chandler drummed his fingers nervously on the table, not able to comprehend a word on the menu he was looking over.

Rachel sighed. "I would tell you it won't be that bad, but that would be a lie," she offered. "Maybe I should have just come alone," she sighed, playing with the edge of the menu in front of her.

"What, and make him hate me for all eternity?" Chandler asked.

"There's a good possibility that's going to happen anyway," Rachel smiled back, and Chandler laughed slightly. "It's cute that you think I'm kidding," she paused, seeing her father walking nearer, berating the hostess who was showing him to the table. "And, here we go," she mumbled under her breath.

"What, you didn't have any tables available actually inside the kitchen?" Dr. Green looked at the young girl who had brought him to the table, nearly in tears by the time they reached it.

"I-um, if this table isn't suitable, I can find another-"

Dr. Green waved his hand, dismissing her. "It will have to do, won't it?" The girl paused a moment, not sure if she should leave or not, before walking away as quickly as she could. "Rachel!" he exclaimed, Rachel standing up to hug him.

"Hi Daddy," she hugged him. "And this is Chandler. Chandler, this is my dad, Leonard Green," she introduced them, Chandler standing up, as well.

"And you can call me Dr. Green," he corrected Rachel.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Chandler replied, shaking his hand.

"So, Rachel, your mom told me, in the same breath she told me she had hired a divorce attorney, that you just started a new job?" Dr. Green asked, beginning to look over the menu.

Rachel nodded, staring down at her own menu. "I, um, yea, I did. I'm a personal shopper at Bloomingdale's. It's really not a big deal, but I really love it so far, and they promote from within, so there are a lot of possibilities," she nodded, glancing up at her father, who was looking over the menu.

"Once I get here I can never remember why I come here," he shook his head, making a face. "What do you say to three specials?" he looked from Rachel to Chandler.

"Well, one would probably be enough. I'm not sure I'm quite hungry enough for three," Chandler quipped, Rachel kicking him under then table, Dr. Green just looking at him. "That was a joke-"

"I got that," he nodded, motioning for the waiter to come take their order. Dr. Green shook his head. "This place. They haven't even come over to take our drink order yet, and I've been sitting here a good five minutes," he snapped his fingers, the waiter catching his eye and coming over. "I would like to see a _complete_ wine list," he interrupted as soon as the waiter opened his mouth to speak. "And we'll each take the special, since God only knows how long it will be before you come over here again," he added.

"I'll put your order in right away sir, and I'll be right back with the wine list," the waiter nodded before quickly disappearing.

"Now, Rachel, your mom also said you had some other news for me," Dr. Green took off his reading glasses, setting them on the table in front of him.

Rachel shook her head, Chandler still sitting in stunned silence that Dr. Green was actually worse than he had been anticipating. "I, um, I'm…"

"What is it, sweetie?"

Chandler reached under the table for Rachel's hand, and she squeezed his hard. "I'm pregnant," she blurted out, eyes closed, bracing for the worst.

"You're what?"

Rachel gripped onto Chandler's hand even harder. "I'm pregnant," she repeated, this time looking at her father. Dr. Green sat for a moment in silence, though he looked far from happy. "Daddy, if you think about it, it's a good thing! You're going to have your first grandchild. You'll be a poppy!"

Dr. Green actually cracked a smile at that. "I'll be a poppy!" he repeated, looking from Rachel to Chandler. "So, when is the wedding?" he clapped his hands together, this time his vision landing on Chandler.

Chandler opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Daddy, we're not getting married right now," Rachel explained slowly.

"Why not?" Dr. Green demanded. "Is it because he won't marry you?" he pointed to Chandler. "Are you too good to marry my daughter after you knock her up?" he looked to Chandler.

"What? No!" Chandler immediately responded. "I asked!"

Dr. Green turned back to Rachel. "Is that true?" Rachel nodded. "Well, why the hell aren't you getting married right now? Rachel Karen Green, I will not have my first grandchild be a bastard!"

"Daddy," Rachel interrupted him calmly. "We're just, we're not ready to get married right now. And when I almost married Barry, it was for all of the wrong reasons, and I don't want to get married again for all of the wrong reasons…."

"What better reason is there to get married than being pregnant?" Dr. Green snorted. "People get married every day who aren't 'ready' or 'in love enough' because it's the right thing to do. I thought this was just a phase you were going through. When are you going to grow up and realize how the world actually works, Rachel?"

"I already have," Rachel pushed her chair back from the table, standing up and storming off. She came back to get her purse and coat before storming off again.

Dr. Green turned his focus back to Chandler. "It-it was really nice meeting you," Chandler stuttered out before going after Rachel, leaving Dr. Green alone at the table.

Chandler hurried after Rachel, catching up to her at the door. "Hey," he grabbed her arm, stopping her before she walked out the door. "Hey, it's okay," he added, seeing that she was crying, and pulling her into his arms.

Rachel shook her head. "I knew he was going to react like that. I just knew it," she wiped her eyes. "I knew it, and yet I still came tonight. I should have just called him. Or sent him a letter or something."

Chandler smiled slightly. "Come on. Let's go back in there," he motioned to going back, and Rachel shook her head.

"No thanks."

"Rach, what's the worst that could happen? It couldn't possibly be worse than what just happened in there…."

Rachel nodded. "I know, I just," she shrugged. "I don't know why he has to be like that."

"Because he's your dad," Chandler offered. "And I think that, deep down inside, somewhere, at least when it comes to you, he probably does have good intentions."

Rachel nodded. "I know," she breathed out slowly. "God, I leave a guy at the altar and then get knocked up and don't get married. And I'm the good kid." Chandler laughed slightly. "Seriously."

"You also went to college, decided to become independent, did so, and just started a new career."

Rachel smiled. "That's why I keep you around," she pointed at him, and Chandler again laughed. "Okay," she took a deep breath. "Ready for Round Two? He'll probably come after you this time."

Chandler nodded. "I think I can take it."

"Good. And there is no shame in crying. Leonard Green is a scary man."

Chandler kissed her temple, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked back towards the dining room, ready to again face her father.

~.~

Rachel stood in front of the TV at Joey and Chandler's, arms folded across her chest, the two of them in the new recliners Joey bought. "How long have you guys been sitting here? Have you even moved since I went to work?"

Joey looked down at his watch. "14 hours?"

"And, no, we have not," Chandler added proudly.

"Not even to pee?" Rachel asked, and they shook their heads. "That can't be healthy."

Joey shrugged, "We just haven't drank much."

"Aren't you hungry?" Rachel asked, moving over to where Chandler was sitting.

At that moment, Monica walked in, holding a pizza box. "For the last time: stop sending food to our apartment!"

"Do you have a date, Mon?" Rachel asked, noting that Monica was dressed up, taking a seat on the arm of Chandler's chair.

Monica grinned. "Yes, but when I tell you who it's with, you have to promise not to be too judgmental…."

"Okay?"

Monica smiled. "Richard Burke.

Rachel smiled in return, shaking her head. "No judgment here. Hell, if my father were as sexy as Richard Burke, I would give you permission to date him."

"But if he were still as scary, I would not recommend it," Chandler added.

"Okay, well just don't say anything to Ross about it," Monica added, ignoring Chandler's comment. "I know he's going to be weird about it."

"Why would he be weird about it?" Joey asked, both girls looking at him. "What? If you're going to interrupt our TV time, you have to give us details…."

"Because he's my dad's friend," Monica finally answered, Joey making a face at that.

"So you're going out with someone your dad's age?"

"Oh, but he's so sexy!" Rachel defended Monica. "He's like James Bond."

"That's what Phoebe said!" Monica exclaimed.

"Is he sexier than me?" Chandler looked up at Rachel.

"Of course not," Rachel leaned down, giving him a kiss. "He's old."

"Hey!" Monica said defensively.

Rachel sighed. "Okay, I can't make everyone happy all the time," she stood up, heading toward the door. "Mon, have fun tonight. Chandler, work wore me out, so I'm going to bed soon," she looked back at him at that, holding eye contact a moment, an open invitation, before leaving.

Chandler looked at Joey, then at the pizza, then at the TV before standing up. "Sorry, man," he finally said, following Rachel across the hall.

"Bye, Joe," Monica added, leaving as well.

Joey shrugged, taking a slice of pizza from the box. "More for me…."

~.~

Rachel hooked her arm through Chandler's as they walked outside at the Woodbury Outlet Mall, the sun making the otherwise cold day a lot more bareable on the shopping trip, Chandler's present to Rachel, albeit now a bit late. She had one bag in-hand, but Rachel was having a hard time shopping for herself when most of her thoughts lately were baby-related. That, and if she bought something new, she probably only had a few more weeks to wear it, anyway.

Chandler came to a stop at the window of the next store, Rachel stopping beside him. "What?"

Chandler grinned, pointing to the tiny baby-sized Converse sneakers in multiple colors. "Those are too cute."

"Don't they say it's bad luck to buy baby things before the end of the first trimester?" Rachel asked, following him to the door, already able to tell he had decided to buy them.

Chandler shrugged, holding open the door. "Probably not any worse luck than having unprotected sex, and this is the worst that it got us," he smiled at her as she walked in in front of him. Rachel smiled at him as he went over to the display of baby shoes, holding up a pair of red high-tops.

At that moment, as terrified as she still was of being a mother, she was having a hard time thinking things would be anything other than perfectly fine.

~.~

"Chandler," Rachel nudged him as she sat down on the bed. "Chandler," she nudged him again in his sleep, and this time he woke up.

"Huh?" he said sleepily, stretching out on the bed.

"I've had cramping all night, not bad, just…cramping, and I just went to the bathroom, and I'm spotting, and I don't know, I'm freaking out," she put her face in her hands, Chandler sitting up and moving closer to her.

"Don't the books say some cramping or spotting is normal?" Chandler asked, pretty proud of himself for actually reading the first few chapters of one of the books she had given him the night before.

"Yea, but both at the same time…I don't know. I'm worried," she looked at Chandler, on the verge of tears.

Chandler glanced at the clock, which read half-past six. "Okay. Well, why don't you go shower and get ready, and by the time you are, we can call the nurse line and make an appointment with the doctor later?" Chandler suggested, and Rachel nodded, so Chandler moved to stand up, kissing her forehead first.

"Where are you going?" Rachel grabbed his hand.

"To shower," Chandler replied.

"Stay here with me?" she pleaded quietly, and Chandler nodded, pulling her up off the bed to go shower.

~.~

Chandler ran a hand over his unshaven face, his other hand holding Rachel's hand, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office. They had been lucky that one of the first patients of the day had cancelled, so there was an opening. Though the nurse had said on the phone that some cramping or light spotting was probably nothing to be alarmed about since it wasn't severe, they had scheduled her an ultrasound, anyway, just to be sure.

"Rachel Green."

Rachel looked up at the sound of her name being called, immediately getting up to follow the nurse, Chandler following.

"So, other than the cramping and light bleeding, how have you been feeling?" she asked Rachel, turning into an exam room.

"Actually pretty good," Rachel replied, taking a seat on the exam table. "A little tired, but hardly any morning sickness or anything.

"That's good," the nurse replied, putting a blood pressure cuff around her arm, taking first her blood pressure, then her temperature. "Both normal," she said quietly, noting it on the chart. "I know we're anxious to see how baby's doing, so I'm going to go let the doctor know, and she should be in shortly to do the ultrasound," she smiled once more before leaving Rachel and Chandler alone.

"You okay?" Chandler asked softly, in the chair beside Rachel. Rachel nodded slowly, a knock on the door following.

"Good morning," Dr. Stevenson greeted them, closing the door behind her as she walked in, pulling a stool up beside the exam table.

"Wow, by you'll be in shortly, she really meant shortly," Chandler pointed out.

Dr. Stevenson smiled. "Morning is the best time to have an appointment. No chance for us to be running behind," she smiled, replying honestly, pulling Rachel's shirt up a bit. "Going to be a little cold," she warned, squirting a bit of gel onto her abdomen. "Let's see what's going on," she turned the screen slightly more towards herself before placing the wand in her hand on Rachel's abdomen, finding the heartbeat almost immediately. Chandler stood up, moving closer beside Rachel as she reached out for his hand. "That, Mom and Dad, is a good, strong heartbeat," the doctor smiled at them before turning back to the screen, moving the wand across her stomach. "Baby is developing right on track for 12 weeks," she noted out loud. "And 12 weeks is a very exciting time for an ultrasound, because baby goes from looking like a couple little lumps, to actually looking like a baby," she turned the monitor towards them. "A very active baby," she added, the tiny body moving around on the screen. "I'm going to go grab the technician to finish the scan, I just wanted to make sure everything was alright," Dr. Stevenson stood up, walking towards the door.

Rachel stared at the screen, tears in her eyes. Though it had, of course, already hit her that they were having a baby, there was something about actually seeing the baby on the screen in front of them. It was an actual little person, with arms and legs and a tiny, little face, and fingers—were those tiny fingers?

Rachel looked up at Chandler, who was still holding her hand, also staring at the screen. He looked down when she looked up at him, her tear-filled eyes meeting his tear-filled eyes. Chandler leaned down to kiss her, unsure what words could possibly do the moment justice, and Rachel kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him close, knowing no words were needed.

Things might turn out to be even better than just okay.

~.~

_Another pretty fluffy chapter hurts no one, right? :) Reviews, please and thanks!_


	13. The Second Trimester

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 12: The Second Trimester**

~.~

_I just made the best smoothie in the world: equal parts strawberry, peach, and mango, with soy milk. It's freaking amazing. I had an AN written entailing a couple of crappy things that had happened to people in my life the last week, but, instead, I'm going to share with you that my smoothie is frickin awesome. And it is a beautiful day outside. And I went for a great run earlier._

_(That's me, appreciating the little things in life.)_

_Anywho, thanks, always-loyal three, for the reviews, and thanks to everyone else for reading/adding me to your alerts!_

~.~

"Damn," Ross looked down at his vibrating pager, sitting on the couch at the coffee house with Rachel, Ben on his lap. "Stupid project at work just isn't going well. Hey, can you hold him for a second," he handed Ben to Rachel before waiting for a response, Rachel taking the baby, but holding him at arm's length. Ross laughed, slightly amused. "Rach, he's a baby, not a bomb…."

"Yea, I know," Rachel nodded, still holding him awkwardly away from her.

"Just hold him like you'd hold a football," Ross explained.

Rachel looked up at him, somewhere between angry and panicked. "Ross, this is how I would hold a football."

"Okay, okay," Ross moved back beside her. "Don't cry. Here," he reached out for Ben, repositioning him in her arms. "See?" he reassured her, standing back up.

Rachel nodded, tears still in her eyes. "I can't even hold a baby."

"Dinosaurs aren't going to be any more dead in ten minutes," Ross mumbled as he sat back down, sticking his pager in his pocket. "Rach, it's okay-"

"No, it's not, Ross," Rachel shook her head, wiping the tears away. "I don't know how to hold a baby, and I've never changed a diaper, and I don't know the first thing about anything I really need to go buy right now, and I don't know how to make a baby stop crying, I just, I don't know anything. I can't be a mom! I don't know any of this stuff, and moms know it all!"

Ross smiled, moving closer to her on the couch. "Can I tell you a secret?" Rachel nodded slowly. "About 90 percent of parents have no clue about any of those things at the beginning, but you figure it out," he reassured her.

"Really?"

"Really," Ross nodded. "And it's not like you're in this alone," Ross continued. "I mean, you have Chandler, who, granted, left my son on a bus," Ross paused, Rachel laughing. "And you have all of us, and you have your parents. And," Ross lowered his voice, leaning slightly closer, "from parent-to-parent, I'll let you in on another secret, too. There is no way you can possibly be prepared for a baby. You can read every book there is and practice changing diapers, but nothing will prepare you for being a parent. No one can prepare you for that moment when your child comes into this world, and no one—_no one_- is ever fully prepared. And everything works out, anyway."

Rachel bit her bottom lip, still teary-eyed. "Really?"

Ross nodded. "Swear to god."

Rachel smiled slightly, Ben still in her arms. "Thank you, Ross."

"Anytime," Ross returned her smile. "Now, if you're okay here," he motioned to Ben, "I'm going to go make this call."

Rachel nodded, so Ross walked away, leaving Rachel staring at that baby in her arms in wonderment, scared to death of what was to come (and sure she could handle it, anyway).

~.~

Rachel woke up slowly, glad for a day that she and Chandler both had off so they could sleep in and spend the day together. Rolling over onto her back, Chandler propped his head up with his arm under his pillow.

"Morning," he leaned in to kiss her, hand moving under the covers to her stomach.

"Morning," she replied, handing meeting his on top of her stomach, moving slowly over it. After a second, she shot up in bed. "Hey, hey!" she sat up on her knees, lifting her shirt up slightly. "It's a little baby bump!" she said excitedly. "It doesn't just look like I'm fat anymore! It looks like a baby bump!"

Chandler laughed. "It never looked like you were fat…"

"That's because you knew I was pregnant," Rachel pointed out. "Aw, this is so exciting!" she lay back down beside him, snuggling up to him, his arm wrapping around her waist as she lay her head on his chest, his hand again resting on her stomach. "Chandler?" she said quietly after a few minutes of silence, Chandler nearly dozing still.

"Hm?" he replied, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

"Hey, um, I know that none of this was what either of us really wanted or expected right now, and it just kind of happened, and that _we_ just kind of happened, but," she paused, taking a deep breath as she looked up at him, "I'm really glad that it's happening with you."

Chandler smiled, lips curling slightly into a smile Rachel had realized a few weeks earlier was one reserved solely for her. "Me, too."

"Yea?"

Chandler nodded, kissing her again. "Yea."

~.~

"You haven't told either of your parents?" Rachel stood in front of Chandler, arms crossed. "My dad still isn't speaking to me, and you can't even pick up the phone to tell your parents?"

Chandler shrank back onto the stool, leaning back against his kitchen counter. "I-I was going to, but…"

"Chandler, seriously?"

Chandler shrugged helplessly. "I hardly ever talk to my parents!"

"But you haven't even told your mom!"

"What am I supposed to say to her?"

"I don't know. She's your mom! You'll figure it out!"

"Rach-"

"Nope, call her," Rachel walked over to the phone, picking it up and handing it to him. Chandler looked at her pathetically. "Now," she added, and Chandler finally took the phone from her.

"Fine," he grumbled, dialing his mother's number as he stood up, beginning to pace, praying for her voicemail, Rachel supervising, arms still crossed. "Oh-he-hey Mom," he greeted as soon as Nora picked up. "Yea, I know, it has been a while. Yea-yea, I'm good. No, I don't sound nervous. Why would I sound nervous?" he stopped pacing. "Hey, um, Mom, I do kind of have something to tell you. Yea. Guess-guess who's going to be a grandma?" he paused, nervously biting at his thumbnail. "Yea, that wasn't a trick, I meant you. Uh-huh," he paused. "Mom!" he scolded her, pausing again. "Yea, no, you remember Rachel, right? Yes, as in, when last you left, Ross was crazy about Rachel. Yep, one and the same, Mom. No, you cannot use this in your next book!" he shook his head at her, Rachel laughing slightly. "July 31st. No, you don't need to come out here. Then or now. No, Mom. Mom…Yea, she's right here. No."

"Does she want to talk to me?" Rachel looked at Chandler, who shrugged.

"Fine. Okay, but behave, Mother," he reluctantly handed the phone over to Rachel.

"Hi Mrs. Bing. Okay, Nora," Rachel walked away from him towards his room, Chandler following. "Uh-huh," she shooed him away, closing his door behind him. Chandler sank down into one of the Barca Longers, arms folded, not happy about the current situation. A few minutes later, Rachel reappeared, hanging the phone back up. "She is going to be in town sometime in May. She said not to tell you when." Chandler continued to pout, arms crossed. "Oh, stop pouting, already. You do not have the worst mother in the world," she added, heading towards the door.

"Last time she was in town, she kissed Ross!"

Rachel turned back around, heading back into the living room. "Okay, I feel like I need to know more about that…"

~.~

Rachel came out of her bedroom, still in her pajama's, to find Monica sitting at the kitchen table alone. "Morning," Rachel greeted her, heading towards the bathroom.

"Morning," Monica replied.

"Where's Richard?" Rachel asked as she came back out, sitting down beside Monica after grabbing a bowl from the counter.

"He had some conference to go to this weekend."

"Ah," Rachel nodded, reaching for the box of cereal on the table. "Hey, how are things going with him, by the way?

Monica grinned. "Good. Really good. Really, really good," Monica paused. "It is weird that I can't stop smiling?" Rachel shook her head, beginning to eat her cereal. "I don't know if this is a weird question to ask, but…how are things with you and Chandler? I mean, everything seems good, but outside of the whole baby thing, how are things?"

Rachel smiled. "Really good," she nodded. "Actually, last night…we kind of had 'The Night.'"

"Aww, really?"

Rachel nodded, still smiling. "Yea. I mean, we already know each other so well, and we've done a lot more talking in the past few months than in the past year or so, but last night," she paused, nodded. "We were up until almost 5 this morning talking. Just about everything and nothing…stories we've never told each other, things we've never told anyone else," Rachel again paused. "Did I tell you he asked me to marry him? The night we found out I was pregnant?"

"Oh my god!" Monica gasped. "How did you leave that out?"

Rachel laughed. "Sorry, I was too busy freaking out at the time. Anyway, I said no, because I almost got married once for all of the wrong reasons, and if I do marry him, I want it to be for all of the right reasons…."

"And?"

Rachel smiled. "I know that this is still new, and I know that when the baby comes, it will change everything even more, but," she paused, "if he asked again…I would say yes…."

"Oh my god, Rach!" Monica leaned over to hug her.

"I never believed people who said you just know after a few dates or a few weeks, but…I think you do, you just know," she shrugged. "I've never felt this way for anyone before. I've never felt the way he's made me feel since the first time we went out about anyone before, after any amount of time."

Monica grinned back. "Oh, god, you're going to make me cry," she dabbed at her eyes, both of the girls laughing. "Oh, I can't believe you're going to marry Chandler."

Rachel laughed at that. "Oh, I know. Can we go back to 1989 and tell our teenage selves that? I think they would die of laughter."

~.~

"We're doing what?" Rachel raised her eyebrows at Chandler, who was holding onto Ben, diaper bag over his arm, folded up playpen in the other.

"Babysitting Ben until tomorrow morning?" he replied, slower than the first time, now posed as a question instead of a statement as he set down the bag and playpen. "Okay, I know it was a while ago, but Ross said you were still kind of freaked out about the whole taking care of a baby thing, so," he motioned to Ben, "I found a baby to practice on." Rachel still stared blankly back. "Monica promised that she and Richard will be across the hall all night, and Ross will be home all night, so if we need him, he can be here in a few minutes. Oh, and I had to promise not to take him anywhere using public transportation."

Rachel thought it through for a minute. "Okay," she finally breathed out. "I wish you had asked me first-"

"It was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Chandler, flowers are a surprise. A baby-"

"Can also be a surprise," he interrupted her, and she laughed.

"Good point."

"So, we can keep him?"

"Chandler, he's a baby, not a dog."

"Yea, but look how cute he is when he wraps his little fingers around your finger," he held up his hand, Ben's fingers curled around his thumb.

Rachel smiled. "Thank you. I may be too tired and mad at you and/or frustrated to say that in the morning, so, I will say it now, because I know this is a nice gesture. Thank you."

Chandler smiled in return. "You're welcome."

~.~

"Who was that?" Chandler asked, walking into Rachel's apartment as she hung up the phone. "Rach?" he asked, the look on her face worrying him.

Rachel smiled slightly, still in shock. "My dad."

"Really?" Chandler asked, surprised since Rachel's dad still wasn't speaking to her since he found out she was pregnant and they weren't getting married.

Rachel nodded. "Yea. He-he wanted to know if we needed anything."

"What did you say?"

"Just for him to be a dad and grandpa."

"And?"

Rachel smiled, tears in her eyes. "He said he can handle that."


	14. The Third Trimester Take One

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 13: The Third Trimester, Take One**

~.~

_Oh, hey…I honestly didn't mean to disappear. But, ya know, life happens. And then grad school started (LOVE IT!). And…here I am. If you guys will stick around, I will, too. :)_

_Also, this has nothing to do with anything, but after returning to the hotel with a couple of my BFF's after a friend's wedding this past weekend, we totally crashed another wedding reception. I just feel like that story needs to be shared. Because it was epic._

_Thanks for the reviews so far, and keep it up, please!_

~.~

"Thanks, Gunther," Rachel said as he handed her the scone she had ordered and handed Monica her tea, turning to leave abruptly with Chandler's coffee still on his tray.

"Well, **this** game is getting old **really** quick," Chandler grumbled, standing up to go back over to the counter to get his coffee. Rachel laughed, glancing over her shoulder at the door for what was probably the fifth time in the past few minutes. "Why do you keep looking at the door?" he asked, sitting back down beside her on the couch. "Are you waiting for someone?" Chandler paused, Rachel's lips together. "Oh my god, is my mom coming today?"

"No?" Rachel replied slowly.

"You know you're a terrible liar, right?" Monica interjected, and Rachel nodded slowly.

Chandler huffed at that, leaning into the couch.

"Stop pouting," Rachel sighed. "Your mom is not that bad."

"She really isn't," Monica agreed.

"That's because she's not your mom."

"I'll trade you. Your mom for my mom," Monica offered, and Chandler remained silent, thinking that through. "That's what I thought," she smiled at his silence, all three of them looking up as the door opened. Chandler groaned when it was his mother who walked it, Rachel standing up to go greet her.

"Oh, honey, you don't have to get up," Nora said as she walked over to the couch, but Rachel stood up anyway.

"Oh, it's fine," Rachel waved her off. "They say you feel the best in your second trimester, but I've been feeling great the last few weeks."

"Are you ridiculously horny, too?" Nora asked, only slightly quieter. "I know when I was pregnant-"

"I think we can leave it at that," Chandler interrupted, standing up behind Rachel.

Nora laughed, hugging Rachel first. "Oh, look how cute you are," she gushed. "May I?" she asked, motioning to Rachel's belly, and Rachel nodded.

"She is kicking up a storm right now," Rachel replied as Nora placed a hand on her belly.

"She?" Nora asked, clearly excited.

Rachel turned back towards Chandler. "Do you tell your mom anything?"

Chandler shrugged, Nora moving to hug him. "Hi, sweetie."

"Hi, Mom," he kissed her on the cheek.

"And, Monica, how are you?" Nora asked, Monica watching them in slight amusement, enjoying how worked up Chandler would get every time his mom visited. "Are you joining us for lunch?"

"Good," Monica replied. "And no, I'm meeting my boyfriend here."

"I will need to hear more about this boyfriend later," Nora smiled. "But I made us reservations at this place I ate at last time I was in town," she explained. "So, we really should be getting going."

"See you guys later," Monica said to the three, Nora and Rachel walking towards the door, already chatting, and Chandler following behind. "Have fun!" Chandler turned around, making a slight face at her for even suggesting such a thing.

~.~

Chandler walked into his apartment with his mom, both with an armful of bags, Rachel having gone back to her apartment to go to bed, worn out after their day of shopping.

"You really didn't have to buy so much," Chandler said as they set the bags down.

"Don't be silly, of course I did," Nora smiled. "That's what Grandmas are for." Chandler smiled at that. "You seem happy," Nora added sincerely, and Chandler smiled wider.

"I am."

Nora nodded. "Good," she paused. "I was a little worried when you called that…. Well, I was worried that if she was a friend you got pregnant, that it might have been more of a one-time-thing, and you were together now because of the baby, and I didn't want you to be with someone for all of the wrong reasons and be unhappy."

Chandler shook his head. "Yea, we would be together right now regardless of the baby."

Nora smiled. "Good," she paused. "It's funny, when you guys were in college, I always thought you had a thing for Monica." Chandler reddened slightly at that. "Ah," she laughed slightly. "I also thought it seemed pretty mutual, but she seems surprisingly okay with you having a baby with her best friend."

Chandler laughed at that, shrugging. "She has a boyfriend right now, Richard," he explained. "It's going really well," he nodded. "He's a good guy."

"Good," Nora approved, a momentarily silence following.

Chandler scuffed his foot against the floor, digging his hands in his pockets. "I bought a ring."

"You what?" she asked in surprise.

Chandler smiled. "I bought a ring," he repeated. "A couple of months ago," he continued. "I just want to wait, because…I don't want to be rushing into getting married just because we're having a baby. I want it to be because…because I can't imagine my life without her," he finished quietly, and Nora smiled, nearly tearing up at that as she moved closer to him.

"When did you become such an adult?" Nora asked softly.

Chandler scoffed at that. "Got me."

Nora laughed, leaning in to hug him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm very proud of you, you know," she smiled as she pulled back. "You've turned out surprisingly well adjusted considering, well, your father and I."

"Well, you paid the therapist enough that I should be," Chandler deadpanned, and Nora laughed.

"Now, if we could only do something about **that**…."

Chandler smiled. "You know you would miss it if I stopped using humor as a defense mechanism..."

Nora smiled, touching his cheek. "I am proud of you, Chandler."

Chandler smiled. "Thanks," he replied softly.

"I'm going to head back to my hotel before it gets too late," she turned to grab her purse.

"You didn't have to stay in a hotel. You could have stayed here," Chandler offered, but Nora waved him off.

"It's fine. You didn't even know I was coming," she smiled at him. "Go to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Night, Mom," Chandler kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

Nora smiled back at him on her way out the door. "Night, kid."

~.~

Chandler crawled into bed with Rachel, who was sprawled out in the middle of the bed. He snuggled up beside her, kissing her forehead as his hand moved to her belly. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. Chandler closed his eyes, trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened in the past six months.

It was almost incomprehensible, how much had changed and how quickly. He also realized how much everything was going to change again soon, and yet…he had never been so happy. Arguments and disagreements and crazy pregnancy hormones thrown in, he was still happier with Rachel than he could ever remember being, or could have ever imagined being.

This was not somewhere he had ever expected to be, with anyone, let alone with Rachel. Yet, somehow, here he was.

Closing his eyes, still smiling to himself, Chandler let himself drift off to sleep with that as his last coherent thought of the night.

Here he was.

~.~

Chandler sat in Rachel's room in the middle of a mess of pieces that were supposed to somehow go together to form a crib. He sat, bewildered, trying to figure out where to begin. He looked up helplessly as Rachel entered the room, beginning to look slightly more miserable.

"I don't even know where to start," he shrugged, gesturing to the pieces surrounding him on the floor.

"Did you read the directions?" Rachel asked.

"Not yet…."

"Your child is going to be sleeping in it. Read the directions," Rachel warned, turning to again leave the room.

Chandler sighed, picking up the instruction booklet. He frowned at the diagrams; putting things together like this was not his strong point. Standing up, he headed for the living room. "Hey, Mon," he yelled, thinking this was something she would be much more helpful with than he would.

~.~

"Paige?"

Rachel made a face at Chandler's suggestion, continuing to flip through a baby name book as they sat on the couch at Central Perk. "Bailey?"

It was Chandler's turn to make a face. "Bailey Bing?"

Rachel laughed out loud at that, flipping through a few more pages. "Grace?"

Chandler thought that through, taking the book from her. "Possibly."

"Hey!" Phoebe greeted them, sitting down. "Ooh, baby names!" she exclaimed, seeing the cover of the book. "Ooh, ooh, what about something really powerful! Like Thor!"

Rachel and Chandler looked at each other. "Phoebs, we're having a girl," Rachel replied.

Phoebe nodded. "And, what, Thor's a boy's name?"

"As much as Chandler is," Chandler shrugged, flipping through the book. "Olivia?"

Rachel smiled. "I like that! Olivia," she tried it out. "Oh, she's kicking! She likes it, too!" Rachel paused. "Olivia Grace," she suggested.

Chandler grinned at her at that, Rachel grinning in return. "Olivia Grace."

"Okay, but just don't completely discount Thor until she's born," Phoebe added, ignoring the moment between the two. "Or, as a middle name," Phoebe continued. "Like, say, Phoebe Thor."

Chandler laughed, finally nodding at Phoebe. "We will keep it on the table," he promised, though he was pretty positive they had just named their baby. Rachel squeezed his hand. "It will be between Olivia Grace and Phoebe Thor."

Phoebe grinned in victory. "Consideration is all I ask. I'll take second place."

~.~

Chandler stood up from his Barca Lounger as Rachel walked into his apartment after work, soaked from the rain.

"My umbrella blew inside out," Rachel started, hand on her lower back as she moved slowly over to the bar stools, leaning back against one. "My feet are so swollen I had to buy a new pair of shoes on my lunch break that was not half a size, but a full size, bigger than I normally wear," she continued on, slipping off her soaked new shoes. "My morning sickness has decided to randomly reappear this week, and if one more stranger," she paused, "**one more stranger**," she repeated sternly, "touches my stomach without asking, I will freak out on them," she paused. "And I'm not talking regular freaking out. I'm talking third trimester pregnancy-induced hormones freaking out. It will not be pretty," she sighed, and Chandler tried to hold back his grin at how adorably pathetically miserable she looked at the moment.

Instead of saying anything, Chandler took two steps forward so that he was directly in front of her, dropping to one knee.

Rachel covered her mouth, standing back up. "What are you doing?"

"Rach," Chandler began shakily. "I was going to wait, until after the baby was born, and I was going to plan some big romantic gesture, with roses or candles or something sentimental, but," he shrugged, "I don't want to wait," he said softly. "I love you, and I can't imagine my life without you. And I know that everything is about to change in ways that we probably can't even fathom right now, but I want you to know, at the end of the day, every day, good or bad, that I want to be with you," he continued, Rachel now tearing up, though her hands still covered her mouth. "Not because I feel like I have to, but because I can't imagine not being with you," he continued on. "And I don't care if it's tomorrow or in five years, but I want-I want to marry you," he continued, voice now shaky. "For all the right reasons, I want to marry you," he paused, taking a deep breath. "Rachel, will you marry me?"

Rachel nodded, dropping her hands. "Yes," she finally said, through her tears as Chandler stood up. "Yes," she repeated as Chandler leaned in to kiss her, slipping a ring on her finger, or rather, attempting to slip it on. Rachel frowned. "My fingers are too swollen right now," she choked out, nearly in tears again.

"No-no, don't cry," Chandler rubbed her shoulders. "It's okay. Hey, hey! You can put it on a necklace! And if you want a ring to wear right now, we can get another ring. Okay?"

Rachel nodded, taking a deep breath as she pulled herself together. "I think what I meant to say, outside of the hormonal mess I'm being right now," she smiled, Chandler laughing slightly, "is that I love you, too."

Chandler ginned. "That is exactly what I just heard you say. Was that not the first thing you said?"

Rachel smacked at his arm. "Would you be completely offended if I really just want to go change into dry clothes and go to bed and not even tell anyone tonight?"

Chandler shook his head. "That sounds like the perfect plan." He leaned down, kissing her softly on the lips.

"Chandler?"

"Yea?"

"Despite what may actually come out of my mouth over the course of the next few weeks…I wouldn't change a thing that's happened with you over the last eight months," she smiled softly. "I wouldn't want this to go any other way."

Chandler smiled, still in awe that so much could change over such a short amount of time. "For the record," he spoke softly in return, leaning in close to her ear, "me, too."


	15. The Second Trimester Take Two

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 15: Second Trimester, Take Two**

~.~

_Oh, hey. Didn't forget about this one. Randler fans just seemed to disappear (although a HUGE amount of people have this story on alert…), so…not to cater to the readers of the fandom, but…that's kind of what I'm doing. I felt all of my Randler fans had left, but Mondler fans are here (or at least more vocal) at the moment, so…yea. If you guys are still here, and still want more, please let me know (that is, review), and I will work on getting this done faster._

_Thank you to everyone who is still reading and reviewing. :)_

~.~

"So," Monica grinned, sitting down at the coffeehouse with Rachel and Phoebe, "when do we get to start wedding planning?"

Rachel shrugged, rubbing her very large stomach. "I don't know," she paused. "We don't want to get married, like, now. Or even in the next year, really…."

"Oh," Monica said, clearly disappointed.

"Who knows, maybe you'll be planning your wedding before mine."

"Or, maybe mine," Phoebe interjected.

"Phoebs, you don't even have a boyfriend," Monica pointed out.

"I see how it is," Phoebe reached forward, grabbing a magazine from the table.

"I didn't mean it like that," Monica apologized.

"Yea, uh-huh," Phoebe stood up.

"Where ya going, Phoebs?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, ya know, maybe to find a boyfriend," she turned to leave. "Actually," she turned back to face them, "I have a massage client in half an hour. But, maybe after that," she again turned, this time leaving.

"Speaking of my wedding," Monica said quietly, taking a sip of her coffee, "Richard and I almost broke up last night."

"What?" Rachel exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Well," Monica began slowly, "I was actually talking about you guys, and how exciting it is that you're having a baby and getting married, and, that led to us doing some talking, and," she took a deep breath, "it turns out, he's already done the whole having kids thing and doesn't really want to do it again."

"Oh my god!"

"Yea," Monica nodded. "And we did some more talking, and he said that, to be with me, he'd do it all again, if he had to. If he has to," Monica repeated quietly.

"And?"

Monica shrugged. "That was it. We dropped it."

"What? Mon, you can't just not talk about it!"

"I know," she sighed, leaning heavily back into the couch. "I just-I'm not ready for it to end yet. Neither of us is."

"Oh, Mon," Rachel attempted to get up from the chair and move to the couch where Monica was sitting, but failed. "I'd hug you, but," she motioned to her stomach, causing Monica to laugh, leaning forward to hug her.

~.~

"How was prenatal yoga?" Phoebe asked as Chandler and Rachel walked into Rachel's apartment.

"Interesting," Chandler nodded.

"Thank you again for going with me," Rachel leaned in to kiss him.

"No problem," Chandler kissed her again as they moved towards the couch. "I just can't believe what some of those women can do while pregnant. I'm not pregnant and I can't even make my body move like that!" he exclaimed, sitting on the couch, Rachel sitting at the opposite end, slowly propping her feet up in his lap.

Phoebe smiled. "You two are just too cute."

"Thanks?" Rachel laughed at the random comment.

"You're welcome," Phoebe replied. "I was actually just leaving, though, so I'll see you guys later," she waved, walking towards the door.

"Bye Phoebs."

"Bye."

"Oh!" Phoebe poked her head back in the door. "We're getting pretty close, so I still wanted to make sure that Phoebe Thor Bing was still on the table."

Rachel laughed. "Sure, Phoebs."

"Okay, good. I mean, with a strong name like that, the kid would be bound for greatness," she paused. "Or cage fighting." Phoebe shrugged, heading back out the door, leaving Rachel and Chandler laughing, shaking their heads at her.

"Hey, um, I was just thinking," Chandler began slowly after Phoebe was gone, his tone more serious now, "and…what are our living arrangements going to be once the baby's born?"

Rachel shrugged, also having thought about that. "The status quo seems to be working?" she offered quietly, knowing that him going back and forth between the two apartments may not work forever, but it was working.

Chandler nodded slowly. "I was kind of thinking that. I kind of practically live here, but all of my stuff is across the hall," he paused, and Rachel nodded. "This works, right?"

Rachel nodded sincerely. "I think so."

"Okay, good," he smiled. "I just can't help but feeling like all of this is a little unconventional…."

Rachel smiled. "Maybe we're a little unconventional."

Chandler returned her smile, his hand finding hers, giving it a light squeeze. "Good point, Green."

~.~

Rachel shifted uncomfortably in bed as she gripped at her belly, a wave of pain hitting her. "Chandler," she nudged him on the other side of the bed before going back to gripping her belly, attempting to breathe through the pain. What she had suspected to be indigestion earlier in the night she was now almost positive had been the start of her contractions. "Chandler," she repeated, slightly louder.

"Hm?" he replied, still mostly asleep.

"It's…time…"

"What?" he shot up suddenly in bed. "N-now?"

Rachel nodded slowly. "I'm pretty sure I've been having contractions since last night.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" he jumped out of bed, grabbing her already packed duffle bag they had set in front of the closet (well, Monica had made them pack and set it out…).

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "My baby shower is supposed to be in the morning, and," she again shrugged. "I don't know. Oh, ow," she gripped her abdomen.

"Okay, that's really close together. We need to get to the hospital," he ran from the room, leaving Rachel behind. He headed for Monica's room, banging on the door a couple of times before grabbing his keys and slipping his shoes on.

Monica and Richard appeared from behind the door a few seconds later, having correctly assumed the reason behind being woken up. They both smiled in amusement at Chandler as Rachel appeared slowly in her own doorway.

"Since you're wearing nothing but boxers and sneakers, I'm going to go ahead and assume it's time to have a baby," Monica grinned sleepily.

Chandler looked down, suddenly realizing she was right, and he wasn't dressed. "Oh, crap. I felt like I was forgetting something."

"Like me?" Rachel asked from her bedroom doorway.

"Sorry," Chandler apologized, moving past her, returning seconds later in sweatpants and a tshirt. "Are we ready? We're ready," he headed towards the door, arm around Rachel.

"Wait! I need to call my mom!" Rachel stopped walking.

"No, we need to get to the hospital so we don't have a baby at our apartment," Chandler pointed out.

"I'll call your parents. And everyone else," Monica shooed them away. "We'll be right behind you," she added, heading into her room to grab the phone.

Rachel again stopped in the doorway, gripping the counter.

"Another one already?" Chandler asked, now nearly panicked, afraid they wouldn't make it to the hospital in time.

Rachel shook her head, tears in her eyes. "No-I just-I'm not ready to have a baby yet!"

"No, see, this freaking out thing," he motioned to her, "that's my area of expertise. You're kind of stealing my thunder here." Rachel laughed slightly through her tears. "How are we doing here?" he looked up at Richard, who looked slightly amused, watching the scene still from just outside of Monica's room.

"It looks like you're about to have a baby," Richard smiled.

"Okay, c'mon, Rach," Chandler wrapped his arm around her, the two finally heading out the door.

~.~

"Oh, I feel like I need to push," Rachel doubled over in pain in the back of the cab, nearly to the hospital.

"No, don't push, don't push!" Chandler shook his head. "We're almost there, babe," he reassured her. "For the love of god, man, drive faster!" he shouted at the cab driver.

"You have a baby in my car, you're paying for the cleaning," the drive replied. "And we're making great time. Two minutes til we're there, tops."

"I need to push!"

"Just breathe, Rach, we're so close," he gritted his teeth as she squeezed his hand. "Oh, why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I didn't think-I don't," she trailed off, near tears, squeezing his hand as she attempted to breathe through the pain and think of anything but pushing.

"Keep the change!" Chandler shoved a fifty-dollar bill towards the driver, getting out of the car as it came to a stop and running around to Rachel's side, shouting for someone to get a wheelchair.

~.~

"Why is this taking so long? I thought this was supposed to be the fast part!" Rachel snapped, having been taken immediately to the delivery room, but she had now been pushing for over an hour and a half, though it had given everyone else (other than her mother) time to arrive.

"Rachel, you are doing great, and we are almost there," Dr. Stevenson assured her.

"Olivia Grace, get out here this instant!" Rachel ordered the baby, causing Chandler to laugh. "You don't get to laugh. This is your fault!" she pointed her finger at him, and he remained silent, having already learned that him adding to the conversation wasn't helping.

"Rachel, we're going to push again, okay? I can see her little head, and we are almost there."

"Not we, _me_," Rachel grumbled as she sat back up in bed, again scooting forward, Chandler and a nurse each gripping one of her legs. "And it cannot possibly be a _little_ head."

"I'm here, I'm here!" her mother ran into the room. "Did I miss it?"

"You are just in time," the doctor replied, Sandra kissing Rachel's sweaty forehead before taking over for the nurse holding her leg. "Okay, Rachel, just a couple more big pushes, and you get to meet your baby. On the count of three. One, two, three."

Rachel pushed, eyes closed, and before the baby could even cry, or anyone could announce a congratulations, it was Chandler's soft, "Oh my god," that signaled it was over as Rachel leaned back heavily onto the pillows.

"Congratulations, Mom and Dad," Dr. Stevenson said, placing the crying baby in Rachel's arms.

"Oh my god," Chandler repeated softly, moving closer to Rachel as he reached out to touch his daughter's tiny hand.

"Oh, she's so tiny and perfect," Rachel cooed softly, as well, marveling at her.

"You did it," Chandler leaned down, tears in his eyes, to kiss Rachel.

Rachel smiled back at him through her own tear-filled eyes. "We did it."

Chandler grinned. "So, is Phoebe Thor still on the table?"

Rachel laughed. "Oh, you sure know how to ruin a moment…."

"Hi, Olivia," Chandler whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Welcome to the world…."

~.~

Chandler sat in the chair in the corner of Rachel's room, holding Olivia as Rachel slept. Everyone else had come in and said their congratulations, oooh-ing and ahh-ing, taking turns holding the baby, before leaving to let them get some rest.

He didn't want to rest. He found he was perfectly content to sit there, holding this tiny little person he was still in awe over, staring into her big blue eyes.

"Hey." Chandler looked up at Monica's soft greeting as she entered the room.

"Hey," he grinned as she came over to sit beside him. "I thought you all left."

"I just wanted to see if you guys needed anything from home," she replied, sitting in the chair beside him, reaching out to touch the baby.

"Can you believe I have one of these?" Chandler asked, laughing slightly, though they were still keeping their voices low.

Monica laughed, too. "Honestly…no. No offense," she quickly added.

"Absolutely none taken," Chandler laughed. "I just can't believe I could have played any part in making something so incredibly perfect."

Monica watched for a moment as Chandler stared down at his daughter, studying his expression. "You are going to love her so much no man will ever live up to her expectations of love, aren't you?" Monica joked, reaching out to hold Olivia's hand.

Chandler nodded. "That's pretty much what's going to happen."

Monica smiled. "You look happy."

"I am happy."

"Good," Monica nodded, leaning back in her chair. "I honestly didn't see you in this role for quite some time…."

"Can you keep a secret?" Chandler asked, shaking his head. "Me neither."

Monica smiled. "But you're happy."

"I am," he nodded, looking at her for a moment. "You're weird today."

"Am not," she nudged him slightly, not wanting to wake the now sleeping baby.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, but…are you and Richard okay? Rachel said something the other day about what you said to her, and-"

"Yea, no, we're great," Monica nodded. "I think-I think being here today was what he needed—what we needed. He said that seeing you guys today, it made him realize that he would do the whole baby thing again with me, and not just because he had to, but because he wanted to."

"Good," Chandler smiled. "I like him. He's a good guy."

"Yea," Monica nodded. "He is."

"Although, under no circumstances, will my daughter ever date Joey," he added, and Monica laughed, understanding the connection, realizing that aspect of her dating her father's best friend had probably just hit Chandler.

"I'm gonna get going," Monica stood up. "If you think of anything you need, just call. Otherwise, we'll see you tomorrow." Chandler nodded, and Monica leaned in, kissing his cheek. "Congratulations, Chandler."

Chandler smiled. "Thanks, Mon."


	16. Their Beginning

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 16: Their Beginning**

~.~

_Ack, sorry, didn't mean to leave all you Randler fans hanging for so long. My bad…. I mean, seriously, the last chapter of this got 14 reviews (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!)… what stories in this fandom get that many reviews these days? And a **Randler** (which seems to be such a dirty word around here, lol) story at that!_

_I really, sincerely apologize for the delay in updating this. In all honesty, this fic just…has not gone as planned, haha. I had intended for it to involve much more conflict throughout, but as I wrote it out, it all just happened so…beautifully, for lack of better word. Everything just worked out, and I didn't want to mess with it. So, this is not how I intended this story to go, but…you people don't seem to mind, and there isn't anything wrong with happiness in place of conflict. So, I have come up with a way to wrap it up and am working on doing so! I am not abandoning it. I would NEVER abandon my Randler fans…I've converted a good deal of you, so I'm not going to just abandon you and let this join the ranks of all of the Unfinished Randler Fics out there…. ;)_

_Sorry, didn't mean to write a novel up there, just figured, if you're still hanging out/waiting around on me, you should know what's going on. :)_

~.~

Chandler and Rachel stared at one another once they were inside of Rachel's apartment, a sleeping Olivia in her car seat on the ground, both at a loss of what to do next. They knew how to change her diaper and feed her and burp her and swaddle her in a blanket, but at the hospital, they hadn't been _alone_ alone with her. There were nurses, doctors, visitors…many people much more capable and qualified to do this than they were. The short car ride home (traffic either working in their favor or against, depending on how you look at it) with her was one thing, but this, being home, the two of them…alone…with a baby…was absolutely terrifying. Both of their moms had insisted on coming later that week, and that would no doubt be a whole other kind of overwhelming, but, for the moment, it was just the three of them. Alone.

Rachel took a deep breath, glancing from the sleeping baby back to Chandler. "Now what?" she whispered slowly.

Chandler looked at the sleeping baby, as well. "Got me," he whispered in reply with a slight shrug. "They say to sleep when the baby sleeps, right?"

Rachel nodded, still staring at her. "What if she wakes up when we move her?"

"We could leave her there?"

"On the ground? What if someone steps on her!"

"Who would step on her? Everyone else is at work."

"She stayed asleep all the way upstairs. She won't wake up if we move her to the bedroom."

"True," Chandler nodded in agreement, neither one of them moving to pick her up from the car seat. "What if she wakes up when we unbuckle the thingy?" he motioned to the car seat.

"Okay," Rachel clasped her hands together. "We are eventually going to have to deal with a crying baby."

"Right."

"Right."

"Okay, so, are we going to put our hands in the middle and give it a little, 'Go team!' first, or-"

"Chandler, you may be the father of my child, but, swear to god, if you're gonna stand there and make jokes-"

"I'm done," he shook his head, holding up his hands.

"Okay."

"Okay."

They both took a step forward, Rachel finally leaning down to unfasten Olivia from the car seat, picking her up slowly. "We got this," she whispered with a smile, placing a soft kiss on top of Olivia's head, Chandler placing a hand on Rachel's back as they headed for the bedroom, laying the still sleeping baby down in the crib once there. Rachel and Chandler looked at each other and smiled, watching her sleep for a moment longer before turning towards the bed.

And then Olivia started crying.

Rachel and Chandler looked at each other, Rachel finally grinning as she patted him on the back. "All you, Funny Man…."

~.~

Chandler sat in his Barca Lounger, slowly rocking back and forth, 2-week-old Olivia on her back on his lap, as he held her head gently in one hand. The girls were across the hall getting ready for their second attempt at a baby shower, since Olivia had been born the day the first one was planned. Rachel was showering and their moms were both occupied with helping Monica get things ready for the shower (thank god…when were they going to leave?), and he was thankful for the few minutes alone with an awake, not-crying Olivia. Everyone wanted to help with the baby, and he was thankful for that, they both were, but, at the same time…he kind of wished that everyone would just go away and let them be. He only had another week before he had to go back to work, and the only time everyone left them alone was at night, and though they were lucky that Olivia would sleep for a few hours at a time, it still wasn't a full, uninterrupted night's sleep for him and Rachel, and he was tired. He was tired, and he just wanted a few minutes alone.

Like these few minutes right now.

"Hi, Livvie," he grinned as she wrapper her hand around his thumb, staring up at him with her big, blue eyes. "We're safe over here away from all of the crazies," he cooed on quietly. "I'm sure they'll come try to steal you soon, though. They all think that you're cute or something," he paused as she started whimpered. "Which you are. You are," he repeated softly, cradling her as he continued to rock slowly in the chair until she quieted down again. "You are very cute and very loved, because everyone loves you so much they just want to see you all the time."

Chandler turned slowly in the chair at a sudden noise in the kitchen, having not even heard the door open.

"Sorry," Phoebe immediately apologized, slightly teary-eyed. "I totally feel like I just interrupted your alone time or intruded on your moment or something. I-I'm sorry."

"Phoebs, it's fine," Chandler shook his head. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A minute," she paused. "Or two," she again paused. "Probably longer than I should have without saying anything," she crossed slowly to the living room, sitting in the other chair. "I just-I was just thinking that…that," she took a deep breath, still teary-eyed, " God, I don't cry," she wiped at her eyes. "I was just thinking that…I don't think I could have taken the little pieces of my mom and dad and step-dad and made even one _decent_ parent, and she is so, so lucky because she has two really, really great parents."

"Aw, Phoebe," Chandler smiled shyly. "Although, you did think we would be all along, even when we weren't so sure."

"That's because, even though you guys thought it was one of those big, scary life events," Phoebe motioned with her hands, "I knew better. I've done big and scary. This was big, happy, exciting," she nodded. "And, ya know, I've always thought that you were a genuinely good guy, and, I was just realizing, ya know," she paused, taking a deep breath, tears still in her eyes, "that sometime in the last few years…you became a really good man."

"Phoebs," Chandler whispered, reaching his foot out to touch hers, a bit choked up at that, the sentiment of something he'd actually heard something similar to from his mother recently touching him a bit more coming from someone who saw him on a daily basis.

They both stubbornly attempted to wipe at their eyes without looking like they were wiping at their eyes.

"Want to hold her?" Chandler finally asked. "You can't be any kind of sad and hold her at the same time. She's too little and cute and smells like baby," he leaned forward to hand Olivia to Phoebe, not even waiting for a response.

Phoebe smiled, leaning back in the chair. "I guess you're right," she nodded, looking down at Olivia. "However, I think Monica sent me over here to get something, so, when I don't come back, she'll probably come over here angry."

"Then we will just let her hold Olivia," he nodded. "It's also impossible to be mad when holding tiny, cute, baby-smelling Olivia."

Phoebe laughed slightly. "At least you use your powers for good, not evil." Chandler grinned. "Hey, speaking of powers," she looked up at him from the baby, "you might be able to answer this for me. Why is it Spider Man, not Spiderman? Ya know, like Goldman, Silverman…."

"Because it's not his last name," Chandler replied matter-of-factly.

"Really?"

"Nope. He's not like, say, Peter Spiderman. He's a spider man. But, with Goldman, it's not like there's a Gold Man."

Phoebe nodded. "There should be a Gold Man!"

Chandler laughed. "What, ah, what kinds of powers would Gold Man have?"

"Well, he would turn things to gold."

"What about things that are already gold?"

"Ah, his work there is done," she grinned. "I should get back and help." Phoebe stood back up.

"Okay, but you can't take her, she's mine."

Phoebe laughed, handing him Olivia as she headed for the door.

"Hey, um, Phoebe?" Phoebe turned around. "Thanks, for, you know, what you said before-"

"No," she shook her head, "thank you. On behalf of kids with shitty parents everywhere, thank _you_," she smiled back at him.

~.~

"Hey!" Chandler greeted Rachel, who was sitting on the couch folding laundry when he walked in.

"Hey," she replied, a bit more quietly. "She's going to wake up any minute. She's been crying all afternoon. How was your first day back at work?"

"Eh," Chandler shrugged, kissing her quickly on the lips. "Didn't really do anything. Pretty much just showed off some baby pictures," he grinned, sitting down beside her as he loosened his tie, both of them sinking back deeper into the couch. "How was your day?"

"Exhausting," she whispered, nuzzling into his chest, Chandler kissing the top of her head.

"Hey, uh, I was thinking," he began slowly. "We should-we should set a date." Rachel looked up at him. "I mean, that might sound kind of insane right now, but, I feel like…we've got this, right?"

"We do," she nodded, smiling slightly. "We should."

"Yea?"

"Yea," she leaned in to kiss him.

"Oh, great, you're both here!" Rachel and Chandler looked up as Monica walked through the front door. "There's something I've kind of been wanting to talk to you guys about," she walked over to the couch, sitting on the other side of Chandler.

Rachel looked at her skeptically. "Good or bad?"

"Good," Monica nodded. "Okay," she took a deep breath, "Richard and I have decided to live together," she started off. "But, we don't want to live in either of our apartments, so we've been looking for some place neutral that we can make both of ours."

"Aw, Mon!" Rachel smiled.

"Congratulations," Chandler added.

"And, the three of you could use another bedroom, so," Monica shrugged, "the apartment's yours."

"Are you serious?" Rachel asked.

"Yea," Monica nodded. "I mean, it's kind of hard, because I've lived here for so long, but we all kind of seem to be moving on, so," she nodded, "I think it's time."

"Thank you," Chandler leaned over to hug her.

"Yes, thank you," Rachel added, joining the group hug.

"So, which one of you is telling Joey that I'm moving out?" Chandler asked, both of the girls laughing as they broke the hug.

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure you've been living here for a good six months now," Monica laughed.

"At least," Rachel nodded in agreement.

"Yea, but…not, like, officially. I still have stuff over there," he sighed. "God, can you believe how grown up we all are?"

Monica laughed. "You? No. Everyone else? Seems about right."

"Hey," he nudged her, and both she and Rachel laughed.

"Speaking of," Rachel looked at Monica. "Is Spring in New York a good time to get married?"

"Did you guys set a date?" Monica looked back and forth between the two, eyes lighting up.

"Working on it," Chandler smiled.

"Aw, you guys," Monica leaned in to hug both of them again. "Dinner here tonight? One last time, while I still live here? All of us, Richard, and Julie?" Rachel and Chandler nodded in agreement.

"And, on that note…I think I'm going to go see if Joey's home," Chandler added as he stood up, heading towards the door. Taking a deep breath, he walked out the door to apartment 20 and back in 19, where Joey was standing in the kitchen, looking in the refrigerator for something to eat. Chandler laughed at that.

"Hey," Joey greeted him, turning around.

"Hey," Chandler replied.

"What's up?" Joey asked, closing the refrigerator.

"Why would something be up?"

Joey shrugged. "You just look all serious."

Chandler nodded. "I'm, uh, I'm moving in with Rachel."

"Don't you already live with Rachel?" Joey asked, confused.

"Well, like…officially. Like, moving all of my stuff from here to there."

"Oh. Oh," Joey paused. "Is Monica moving out?" he asked slowly, Chandler nodding in reply, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Joey sighed. "Everything's changing, huh?" he stated more than asked, not sounding particularly sad, rather just observant.

Chandler nodded. "Yea. Guess that whole growing up thing happens eventually, whether you think it will or not."

"Yea," Joey nodded.

"Hey, uh, are you going to be okay, you know, with rent and stuff?"

"Don't worry about that," Joey brushed off his concern. "I do alright."

"I know you do."

The two men paused, both awkwardly staring at the floor.

"I am going to miss you, though," Joey broke the silence. "I already do miss you. I mean, I understand, don't get me wrong, and I think it's great that you're doing the whole dad thing, and you're going to do the whole husband thing. But…I miss you. I miss how it was sometimes."

Chandler nodded. "Me, too."

"Can we just hug already, before it gets any mushier?" Joey laughed, both of them stepping forward and embracing for what was longer than would normally be considered comfortable for a hug between two men, before pulling away.

"Monica's making dinner tonight."

"Okay," Joey nodded, both of them silent again for a moment, before laughing and then hugging again. "Go, already," Joey laughed as they again parted. "Go back to your baby."

"My baby," Chandler shook his head. "That's so weird."

"_So_ weird," Joey nodded in agreement.

"I'll-I'll see you in a little bit," Chandler took a step towards the door.

"Yea, see you later."

Chandler reached for the doorknob, glancing back momentarily around the apartment, laughing to himself at all of the memories and how much he'd grown up since moving into the apartment with Kip after college, before walking out the door.

~.~

_Reviews, please? I can't make promises, but the reviews might make the final 2 parts (I think 2 more parts…don't hold me to that!) come a bit quicker….just sayin'… :)_


	17. The End

**Beautifully**

**Chapter 17: The End**

~.~

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Real life, ya know? Thank you for the kind words in your reviews…in **all** of your reviews for this…hopefully this story is not completely forgotten by you all, but I never do forget a story that I have left unfinished. _

_Hopefully, after 2 years in the process, this at least suffices as an ending._

~.~

Rachel looked around what had formerly been her and Monica's apartment and was now, officially, her and Chandler's apartment, a bit more saddened than she had expected to be. There was one final stack of small boxes by the door, and after Monica came back for that, that was it. All of the furniture was staying, so on first glance, the living room and kitchen looked the same as it always had, but it felt so much emptier without Monica's pots and pans in the kitchen or that silly poster over the TV that Monica was for some reason attached to. It just felt…different.

Different.

It wasn't that Rachel wasn't excited or ready for this new chapter, to live here, alone, as a family, with her daughter and soon-to-be husband, or that she wasn't excited for Monica, moving in with Richard, because she was. It was more the shock of the whole "being a grown up" thing hitting so suddenly and forcefully that she was still in a bit of shock.

As she had been going through her closet, getting ready to move her clothes to Monica's former bedroom, since it was bigger, she had come across her old wedding dress. It had seemed strange, though, that there was absolutely no sadness at that. She had easily tossed it into the donation pile, in disbelief that it had only been a couple of short years earlier that she had walked into Central Perk and away from her former life, wearing that dress.

Rachel turned around as the front door opened, smiling when it was Chandler who entered, a couple of boxes in his arms.

"She left," was all Rachel managed to say softly, slightly teary-eyed.

"Yea," Chandler replied sadly as he set the boxes down. "Yea, she did." He walked over to where Rachel was standing, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Rachel shook her head. "It's stupid to be sad. And I'm not. Or I am. I don't know." She paused, taking a deep breath. "It's just, it sounds stupid, because it's only been a couple of years, but…it's like the end of a chapter of my life, ya know? The end of an era."

"Yea." Chandler leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I do know."

"I just, I feel like, for such a short amount of time…."

Chandler shook his head. "Doesn't make it any less important."

Rachel nodded in agreement, burying her face in his chest. Chandler ran his hand through her hair as she looked back up. "How's Joey holding up?"

Chandler laughed. "I think he'll be okay. I had to promise to keep our refrigerator as well stocked as Monica's at all times, though. And that I'll still watch _Baywatch_ and play foosball with him."

Rachel laughed. "Well, I was about to ask when we all became such grown ups, but…."

"Hey, grown ups watch _Baywatch_ and play foosball, too!"

Rachel glanced at the clock. "Monica should be back any minute for the last few boxes," she said softly, an undertone of sadness still in her voice, though she was trying to hold it back.

As if on cue, the front door again opened, both of them turning to face it. "Speaking of," Chandler said softly, squeezing Rachel's hand before heading towards the door to leave the girls alone to say goodbye. He touched Monica's back affectionately as he passed, tears in her eyes mirroring the tears in Rachel's eyes, before walking out the door.

"Richard's waiting in the car," Monica explained quietly. "We're kind of illegally parked."

Rachel nodded as Monica took a few steps closer to her. "Thank you," Rachel finally choked out.

Monica shook her head. "For what?"

"I don't know if I ever said thank you to you," Rachel continued, "not just for letting me stay here when I had no where else to go, even when I wasn't your favorite person in the world, but for-for giving me a home the last couple of years…."

"Oh, sweetie," Monica replied, taking the last couple of steps over to her, both of them now crying.

"I'm just—I'm really grateful for all it, and I can't—I can't imagine this not being my life right now."

Monica nodded. "Me, too," she whispered, trying to stop from crying. "I can't imagine how all of our lives would have been if you hadn't walked into Central Perk in your wedding dress that day." Both girls laughed at that.

"That's just a really good story, isn't it?" Rachel asked.

Monica again nodded in agreement. "It is," she laughed. "I love you, Rach, and I just wanted to say that, as someone who's known you for so long, I'm—I'm really impressed, and really, really proud of who you've worked to become in the past couple of years."

"Are you trying to see how hard you can make me cry here?" Rachel half-laughed, half-cried, finally hugging Monica. "You know," she continued after a moment, when they had pulled apart, "I'm happy with how things have turned out, and I wouldn't trade any of it for the world, but…I kind of wish we could, like, pause and rewind and replay the past two years."

Monica nodded. "I do know," she replied quietly, both girls now looking at the ground. "I should—I should probably go," Monica barely whispered, and Rachel looked up to meet her eye.

"Probably," Rachel whispered in reply. Monica pulled her keys out of her pocket, starting to take her key from the key ring, but Rachel shook her head. "Keep it." Monica nodded.

Pausing for a moment, Monica finally headed towards the door, glancing back at Rachel before bending down to pick up the remaining boxes. "See ya later?" she offered meekly, feeling that it was the only appropriate end to the conversation.

Rachel nodded, whispering back in reply, "See you later."

~.~ ~.~ ~.~

~.~ ~.~ ~.~

Chandler stood at the make-shift altar, in front of their friends and families, hands stuffed in his pockets both due to cold and a sudden on-set of nerves. They had planned a small wedding at a park near the neighborhood Rachel had grown up in, but a later-than-usual Spring snow wasn't enough to ruin their plans. Actually, it had only been enough to dust the ground and make the scene even more picturesque, but it was enough to make it cold. The girls had, in turn, traded their heels for boots, and were wearing the guys' suit jackets over their dresses. When Monica had asked Rachel if she was concerned about the snow ruining her dress, she had shrugged and said it wasn't like she would be wearing it again anyway.

And so it went on, as their entire relationship had, not quite as planned, yet somehow better than what could have been planned.

Chandler watched as the scene seemed to fast-forward before his eyes, as Monica and Joey walked down the aisle, followed by Phoebe and Ross. Little Ben then came down the aisle, pulling Olivia in a wagon, which everyone aw-ed over, Ben running to Carol as soon as they reached the front, and Rachel's mom taking Olivia. Olivia, though, was not satisfied with this and shouted, "Da!" making everyone laugh. As the orchestra stopped momentarily, everyone stood up and turned to face Rachel, escorted by her father, as the wedding march began.

Before Rachel even began walking down the aisle, though, Olivia's little voice was echoing in the small space enclosed by trees. "Dada, Dada, Dada," she repeated over and over, the 8-month-old not understanding why her father was only a few feet from her yet seeming to ignore her. When the crowd laughed at this, she repeated, "Da, Da," but with a whimper. Chandler held up a finger, as if to signal everyone to wait just a second, which made everyone laugh harder, before stepping forward to take Olivia from Sandra, Olivia immediately quieting down, before retaking his place, all eyes still on him.

"You're supposed to look at her," he finally said, motioning back to Rachel, still waiting with her dad, as everyone again laughed, the orchestra again beginning to play the wedding march. Chandler's eyes locked with Rachel's, not once leaving them once she had started her walk down the aisle.

Once they reached the front, Rachel's father kissed her cheek before taking a seat, Rachel smiling and whispering "hi" to Olivia before the officiant began.

"On behalf of Chandler and Rachel, welcome!" he began with a smile, looking around the small group, all huddled together closely in their chairs, but still smiling. "We are here to celebrate the marriage of two special friends; more than a ceremony, this is a significant moment of celebration and personal commitment. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person in their entirety, as a companion and a friend. It is therefore a decision that is not entered into lightly, but with great consideration and respect. From this day forward, you will come closer than ever before," he continued, Rachel and Chandler still grinning at each other.

"You will promise to love one another in sickness and in health, for better or worse, and at the same time, your love for each other will give you the strength to stand apart to seek your own unique destinies. Please, join hands," he smiled, motioning between them, and Rachel placed her hands in Chandler's free hand, still holding Olivia in the other.

"Chandler, do you take Rachel to be your wife? Do you commit your life to her, embracing all joys and sorrows, all triumphs and hardships?"

"I do," he grinned, squeezing her hands.

"Rachel, do you take Chandler to be your husband? Do you commit your life to him, embracing all joys and sorrows, all triumphs and hardships?"

"I do," Rachel replied, tears now in her eyes.

"Do you have the rings?" he asked, and Rachel turned around, Monica handing it to her as Joey handed Chandler his.

"Chandler, as you place the ring on Rachel's finger, repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a sign of my love and faithfulness."

"I give you this ring, as a sign of my love and faithfulness. "

"May all that see you know that you have been touched by my love."

"May all that see you know that you have been touched by my love."

"Rachel, as you place the ring on Chandler's finger, repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a sign of my love and faithfulness."

"I give you this ring, as a sign of my love and faithfulness. "

"May all that see you know that you have been touched by my love."

"May all that see you know that you have been touched by my love."

He raised his hands, showing the couple off to the crowd. "May you love deeply, laugh heartily, practice patience, and smile often. May you dream together, grow, be crazy, give, give in, and trust enough to take. May you have health, happiness, and a lifetime of rich adventure. By the power vested in my by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal your vows with a kiss!"

With that they kissed, the baby still between them.

"I present to you, for the first time as husband and wife, Chandler and Rachel!"

The two continued to grin through the applause and cheers as the orchestra again began to play, and the entire scene seemed to move in reverse, the whole scene falling apart as seemingly quickly as it fell together.

~.~

"Guess what I stole from the reception earlier?" Rachel asked, lying in bed, the two having now been alone in their hotel room at the hotel where the reception had taken place for quite some time.

"What?" Chandler asked, watching her hop up from the bed, now wearing his white button-down shirt, and he decided, as beautiful as she had looked in her dress earlier, there was still something about her wearing his shirt that he preferred over nearly anything.

"Champagne and cake," she grinned, grabbing the bottle of champagne from the table and pouring it into two glasses. Chandler stood up to join her, pulling on his boxers and kissing her before taking one of the glasses, clinking it to hers before they each took a drink.

"Genius," he grinned, kissing her once more on the cheek.

"I do what I can," Rachel replied, taking a bite of the cake before handing him the only fork that had made its way to the room. Rather than taking the fork, though, Chandler continued to smile at her warmly. "What?"

Chandler shook his head. "Did you ever think, when I had to practically beg you to go to that office party with me—"

"_Practically _beg?"

"When I had to _beg_ you to go to that office party with me," he corrected himself, and Rachel laughed "did you ever think—_ever think_—that this would ever be what it eventually would lead to?"

Rachel shook her head. "Not a chance." Chandler laughed. "Hey, I'm sure you didn't, either…."

"No," he shook his head, placing a hand on either side of her hips. "No, I didn't."

"I wouldn't change a second of it, though," Rachel continued. "I wouldn't change a second of our life together…you, me, Olivia…. It all happened so…so, haphazardly, a complete happenstance, and yet, it all turned out so…so…"

"Beautifully," Chandler finished for her with a smile.

Rachel nodded, that being the words she had been looking for but unable to find, not sure what else could sum up their relationship. "Beautifully," she repeated softly, smile still on her lips as Chandler leaned down to kiss her again.

It had all, some how, unexpectedly and unplanned, happened so beautifully.

~.~

_**When I look in the mirror, you're the only thing I see  
And I have loved you beautifully**_

-Jay Brennan, _Beautifully_

~.~ 

_And that, ladies and gentlemen (err, if you're still out there), is it. Final reviews always appreciated. It's always such a pleasure to finish a Randler series. :) Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following…it means more to me than you know. :)_


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